Abstract: In complex condition coal seam, there are a large number of geological condition parameter changes and a large range of parameter changes. The intelligent mining is the difficult problem which needs to be solved urgently at present. This paper analyzes the main geological conditions and problems of coal mines in different regions of China, and points out that compared with fully-mechanized coal mining, intelligent mining requires higher geological security. The more complex the geological conditions, the more precise the perception, the faster the analysis and decision-making, and the higher the data transmission rate of the control system. Taking the mining of 'three soft' coal seam in Huainan and Huaibei areas as an example, the problems faced in the intelligent mining process are discussed. The coal wall is frequently spalling, the scraper conveyor moves up and down, the adjacent supports are dislocated and the occlusion is not tight, the guard plates are not neat, the supports are tied to the bottom, and the advance roadway is deformed. It is pointed out that the conditions of surrounding rock (roof, floor and coal wall), coal seam strike/dip angle, rock pressure and stability of advance roadway are the five factors that affecting the normal continuous mining of the working face. In order to solve the problems caused by the above five factors, it is necessary to develop the key core technologies to solve the intelligent mining of complex working face from the aspects of surrounding rock parameter perception, trend analysis, fine control, dynamic system adaptation and self-adaptive decision-making. The application status, effect and problems to be solved in the future of the intelligent mining technology of complex conditions working face, such as the precise control and rapid follow-up technology of hydraulic support guard plate, roof partition cooperative support technology, working face equipment attitude monitoring technology, working face straightening technology, moving up and down control technology, stable pressure liquid supply control technology, simulation decision-making system platform and advance support technology, are described in detail. It is pointed out that for the coal seam with many complex conditions, the main directions of follow-up researches are the electromechanical and hydraulic integrated design of key components, distributed control mode, analysis and application of big data, cooperative rapid advancement control of equipment group, and the development of real-time simulation platform and intelligent decision-making system.