Panel: Earth MRI data combined with AI and university partnerships can accelerate discovery, but workforce gaps persist

Panelists told the House subcommittee that Earth MRI has catalyzed private-sector activity and university collaboration, and that new tools including artificial intelligence and machine learning can extract more value from the growing public dataset.

Dr. Graham Lederer, a geoscientist working at the intersection of AI and critical minerals, said Earth MRI's combination of data, tools and partnerships enables new analytic workflows. "With AI and ML, we can expedite many different processing steps as well as interpretations of that raw geological data," he said, describing how classification and anomaly detection can be accelerated.

Witnesses and members also raised workforce concerns. Several witnesses described a shrinking and aging geoscience workforce and recommended targeted grants, university partnerships and state survey support to train new professionals. Dr. Nick Heyman and industry witnesses said Earth MRI work has already generated training opportunities at state surveys and in the private sector.

Industry witnesses noted security and supply-chain issues: some advanced airborne electromagnetic sensors were sourced internationally, prompting questions about domestic sensor production. Members asked about safeguards for datasets that could have sensitive implications; witnesses suggested possible mitigations such as limited embargo periods for newly collected private-sector data and controlled access to raw samples while emphasizing the broader value of public data for transparency and a level playing field.