RUA GOLD has released early drill results that shift the conversation around AI in mineral exploration from potential to proof. Using DORA, our AI-Assisted Mineral Discovery Platform, to prioritize their 2025 exploration in New Zealand’s Reefton Goldfield, RUA GOLD has now reported drill results that have intersected near-surface, high-grade gold at the Cumberland target.
Where AI Meets Real-World Exploration
Using DORA’s proprietary AI models and data generation, RUA GOLD’s geoscience team validated and prioritized the Cumberland target.
Robert Eckford, CEO of RUA GOLD shared how the project quickly progressed: “We acquired the Cumberland gold camp in November 2024 and began drilling in April 2025. From the very first drill holes, we intersected significant, wide quartz veins hosting high-grade gold, confirming historical intercepts.”
“This marks an exciting start, validating the effectiveness of the VRIFY-identified AI targets and confirming near-surface mineralization with the potential to extend across a 2km structural zone,” he explained further.
Initial drilling began in April 2025 and quickly confirmed this mineralization that’s aligned with geological signatures consistent with orogenic gold systems. With additional drilling now underway, RUA Gold’s team continues to build on this early success.
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A Partnership of Innovators
RUA GOLD began using VRIFY’s AI-Assisted Mineral Discovery Platform just over a year ago. In this short time, they’ve shown that the strategic application of AI in mineral exploration can accelerate discovery with both speed and precision, leading to real outcomes. DORA synthesized over 170,000 historical and modern data points, ranging from geochemistry to drilling and geophysics, and rapidly surfaced new insights that would have taken months to uncover manually.
“It’s a big day for the mineral exploration industry as RUA GOLD announces these high-grade intercepts at the Cumberland camp,” said Steve de Jong, CEO and Co-Founder of VRIFY. “This isn’t just a win for Robert, Simon, and the team at RUA GOLD, it’s proof AI can and does deliver real value in mineral exploration. It’s a powerful example of what happens when a company is willing to embrace innovation combines human intelligence with artificial intelligence to accelerate exploration.”
“We’re proud to call RUA GOLD a partner. Their vision and collaboration have helped shape DORA, our AI-Assisted Mineral Discovery Platform, and now it’s incredibly rewarding to see those efforts translate into results,” he added.
The Path Ahead
With ongoing drilling planned along the 2.2 kilometre historic Cumberland corridor, and additional assays pending from recent holes, momentum continues to build.
“We believe this is a pivotal moment of change in the industry and hope more mineral exploration companies recognize the value of leveraging technology and how AI can lead to game-changing discoveries,” de Jong explained.
The RUA GOLD team has now moved 100 metres south, with six additional drill holes — validated through DORA — planned to test strike length, which remains open. From there, they will begin testing depth, an important next step given that the deepest intercept to date extends to only 80 metres, leaving significant potential below.
When AI meets geological expertise, the impact isn’t hypothetical, it’s measurable. RUA GOLD just showed the industry what the future of discovery looks like.
Read more about how RUA GOLD has been using VRIFY in the Reefton Goldfield here.