Papers

Intelligent rock mechanics represents the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and classical rock mechanics, providing new paradigms to understand, model, and predict the complex behaviors of geological materials. This review synthesizes recent progress from foundational AI methodologies to their practical applications in rock engineering. Traditional challenges—such as anisotropy, discontinuities, and multiphysics coupling—have been re-examined through data-driven and hybrid approaches that integrate learning algorithms with physical principles. The study traces the evolution of AI in this field, from early backpropagation and support vector machines to modern deep learning frameworks such as convolutional and transformer architectures, highlighting their roles in microstructure reconstruction, mechanical parameter estimation, constitutive modeling, and real-time hazard prediction. Emerging techniques, including physics-informed neural networks and graph-based learning, bridge data-driven inference with physical interpretability, while large language models are beginning to facilitate automated code generation and decision support in geotechnical analysis. Despite remarkable progress, key challenges remain in data quality, model generalization, and interpretability. Addressing these issues requires standardized datasets, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the establishment of transparent, reproducible AI workflows. The paper concludes by outlining a forward-looking perspective on developing next-generation intelligent frameworks capable of coupling physical knowledge, spatial reasoning, and adaptive learning, thereby advancing rock mechanics from empirical modeling toward fully intelligent, autonomous systems.