One of my characters works in a copper mine in the year 2278. I don't even have a good understanding of how mining works now, so I'm having trouble coming up with an idea of how it would work in the future. Especially in a way that isn't totally automated. Help me out?
Maybe you could just give your character a job that doesn't give much insight into the actual process. Perhaps they just manage some machinery or sort rocks or push carts. It really depends on how important is it to your story
thats a good point. the reader probably won't care about the details since it's not actually important to the story.
he/she could be the person who repairs mining robots, which would give the character electrical and digital experience