Earth AI

Earth AI is a venture-backed mineral-exploration company that uses machine learning to predict where critical minerals are hidden, and then — unusually — drills the targets itself with its own rigs and analyzes the cores in its own lab. This vertical integration is the pitch: rather than sell predictions to miners, Earth AI closes the loop from AI target to drill result, which it argues sharpens the models faster. The company reports a high drill-hit rate (a company claim) and has announced palladium and gold discoveries in Australia. A Y Combinator alumnus with a Series B behind it, Earth AI is a genuine AI-native explorer and a challenger to the incumbents. The honest framing is that its accuracy figures are company statements, and that the long, capital-intensive path from a promising drill hit to an economic mine still applies.