The mining industry is rapidly advancing towards digital, automated andautonomous technologies, including AI-driven analytics, autonomous equipment,remote operationcentres, robotics and smart sensing systems.These innovationspromise greater efficiency, precision and predictability; improved access topreviously inaccessible deposits; reduced environmental impact;and enhancedsafety by limiting human exposure to hazardous environments.Experience from other high-hazard sectors, particularly the nuclear industry, showsthat even fully autonomous systems do not eliminate the human role; rather, theyredefine it. Automation shifts how people interact with technology, wheredecisions are made, and where new forms of risk and error may emerge. Thenuclear sector, which has undergone (and continues to undergo) a similartechnological transformation offers valuable lessons on integrating advancedtechnology while preserving a user-centred, safety-optimisedapproach.Recent analyses of human roles in highly automated small modular reactor (SMR)plants underscore several key considerations, for example: when and howoperators may need tointervene in automated or autonomous operations; howcorrective actions are managed when systems fail; and what knowledge, skills and competencies are required from those who monitor, support or maintain thesetechnologies.This presentation will explore how technology shapes human involvement incomplex automated systems, draw out lessons learned from nuclear industryexperience, and discuss their relevance for the mining sector as it moves towardsincreasingly autonomous operations.