Elon Musk has once again predicted the future of medicine, claiming that doctors will become jobless as artificial intelligence and humanoid robots surpass human surgeons.
Speaking on the Moonshots podcast hosted by Peter Diamandis, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said robots such as Tesla’s humanoid Optimus are on track to outperform even the world’s best surgeons within the next three years.
According to Musk, the current medical system is limited by the long training period for doctors, human error, and the small number of highly skilled surgeons available globally.
“Right now there’s a shortage of doctors and great surgeons,” Musk said during the interview. “It takes a very long time to become a good doctor. Doctors have limited time, and they make mistakes. How many truly great surgeons are there? Not many.”
Musk’s comments are not new. In April 2025, he made similar remarks, predicting that robots would soon master complex surgical procedures.
He pointed to Neuralink’s surgical robot, which is capable of implanting ultra-thin electrodes into the human brain with a level of precision that would be extremely difficult for human hands to match.
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When Diamandis asked whether this meant people should stop going to medical school, Musk responded bluntly, calling it “pointless.” He stressed that doctors will become jobless as robots continue to advance in skill and efficiency.
While advances in robotic-assisted surgery have transformed parts of modern medicine, many experts remain skeptical of Musk’s timeline and conclusions.
Medical professionals argue that healthcare goes beyond technical skill, stressing the importance of human judgment, ethical decision-making, patient communication, and accountability: areas where machines still fall short.
Musk concluded the interview by emphasizing his view of the future of medicine, predicting that doctors will become jobless within a few years if AI and humanoid robots continue to develop at their current pace.
Elon Musk on AI and robotics impact on medical care
“Everyone will have access to medical care that is better than what the president receives right now. So don’t go to medical school? Yes, pointless.”
pic.twitter.com/Iow9tS6Gba— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) January 23, 2026