Elon Musk said that medical school may soon become unnecessary because of the fast rise of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Speaking on the Moonshots podcast hosted by Peter Diamandis, the billionaire technology entrepreneur said that AI-powered robots could outperform human surgeons within just three years.
The remarks came during a wide-ranging discussion about the future of technology, education, and medicine. According to Elon Musk, machines have more advantages over humans in medical work because they do not get tired. Additionally, they can perform tasks with extreme accuracy.
“Everyone will have access to medical care that is better than what the president receives right now,” Musk said during the podcast. The comment quickly spread across social media after a short clip was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, where it gained millions of views and reactions.
Diamandis then asked a direct question that captured public attention. “So don’t go to medical school?” he said. Musk replied without hesitation, saying, “Yes. Pointless.” He added that the same idea could apply to many forms of education as artificial intelligence continues to improve at a rapid pace.
Elon Musk: “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/xyNNp9ex5M
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) January 11, 2026Musk explained that becoming a great doctor takes a very long time and requires years of intense training. He also said that medical knowledge is constantly changing, making it difficult even for experienced professionals to stay fully up to date. In contrast, AI systems can absorb new information instantly and apply it across millions of cases at once.
He pointed to Neuralink as an early example of how machines are already handling highly delicate medical tasks. Neuralink uses a surgical robot to insert tiny threads into the human brain. This process requires more precision than human hands can reliably deliver. Musk said this shows how robots are already entering areas once thought to be purely human.
The Tesla and SpaceX chief also spoke about the future role of Tesla Optimus, the company’s humanoid robot currently under development. He predicted that there will eventually be more Optimus robots capable of performing high-quality surgical operations than there are human surgeons worldwide.
“There will probably be more Optimus robots with great surgical operations than all the surgeons on the planet,” Musk said. He explained this by describing what he called “triple exponential growth,” referring to the rapid progress of AI software, AI chip performance, and mechanical and electrical engineering. According to him, these three areas are improving at the same time and feeding into each other.
Musk said “It is a recursive and amplifiable growth where all experiences are shared.” He added that in three years robots would be better than humans, in four years better than almost all humans, and in five years beyond comparison. He warned that many people are underestimating how quickly humanoid robots are developing.
While some technology experts agree that AI will transform healthcare, many doctors and researchers remain cautious about Musk’s timeline. Medical professionals point out that healthcare systems are heavily regulated. Therefore, introducing fully autonomous robot surgeons would require years of testing, approval, and legal review.
Ethicists have also raised concerns about trust, responsibility, and human judgment in medicine. Even if robots can perform surgery perfectly, hospitals must still deal with issues such as patient consent, legal liability, and ethical decision-making. These are areas where human oversight is still seen as essential.
Doctors have also emphasized that medicine is not only about technical skill. Building trust with patients, understanding emotional needs, and providing long-term care are considered core parts of the profession. Many believe these human qualities cannot be fully replaced by machines, even if AI becomes highly advanced.
