Elon Musk is no stranger to radical predictions, but his latest claim has sent shockwaves through the medical community and beyond: the era of the human doctor may be nearing its end. In a viral podcast appearance, the tech mogul dismissed traditional medical school as “pointless,” arguing that AI-driven robotics will soon provide every citizen with healthcare superior to that of a world leader. Read on to discover why Musk believes your next life-saving surgery will likely be performed by a robot, and why he thinks the medical degree will soon be a relic of the past.
AI vs. Human Doctors: Musk predicts a healthcare revolution
A viral moment from a recent appearance by Elon Musk on Moonshots, a YouTube podcast hosted by Peter H. Diamandis (executive chairman of the X Prize Foundation) has ignited a firestorm of controversy across social media, challenging the very foundation of how we train and trust medical professionals. Joined by DataSage co-founder David Blundin, the Tesla CEO didn’t just suggest that AI is coming for the healthcare sector—he essentially declared the traditional medical degree obsolete.
The conversation, which quickly gained momentum after being shared by the @unusual_whales account on X, began with Musk painting a picture of high-tech medical equality. He asserted, “Everyone will have access to medical care that is better than what the president receives right now.”
The weight of that prediction prompted a pointed follow-up from Diamandis: “So don’t go to medical school?”
Musk’s dismissal was immediate and broad. “Yes. Pointless. Unless you… I would say that applies to any form of education,” he replied, suggesting that the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence will soon outpace any human curriculum.
The trio explored the shifting psychological landscape of patients, with Diamandis noting a generational divide in who we trust with our physical safety. “The younger generation says, I do not want that human touching me, right? When the surgeon comes over. There are going to be those people later in life who still want the human in the loop,” he observed.
To illustrate his point that machines are already winning the trust battle, Musk pointed toward the precision of modern eye surgery. “I mean, let’s just take, like, we’ve seen some advanced cases of automation, like LASIK, for example, where the robot just lasers your eyeball. Now, do you want an ophthalmologist with a hand laser?” When Diamandis laughed and responded with a simple “No,” it highlighted a provocative new reality: in the eyes of one of the world’s most influential tech figures, the “human touch” in medicine is no longer a comfort—it’s a liability.
Watch the viral clip below:
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, 2026
Elon Musk’s bold AI claims divide opinions online
When the short podcast excerpt hit social media, the comments section quickly transformed into a battleground of ideologies, with thousands of users across different platforms weighing in on whether the “human touch” in medicine is a sacred necessity or an obsolete liability.
On one side of the divide, a vocal group of supporters hailed Musk as a visionary, arguing that his predictions are the “unpopular truth” that society is too afraid to face. These commenters frequently pointed to the current failings of the healthcare system, including long wait times, human error, and the crushing cost of education. To these users, the idea of “President-level care” becoming a universal right through AI isn’t a threat, but a long-overdue liberation from a gatekept industry.
Conversely, a wave of skepticism surged from medical professionals and cautious observers who viewed Musk’s short-term timeline as “irresponsible hype.” Critics argued that medicine is far more than a “search and replace” diagnostic task, emphasizing that AI lacks the intuition to handle incomplete data or “read between the lines” when a patient is withholding information. One commenter wrote that they would trust a robot surgeon only after Musk’s self-driving cars can successfully navigate a simple four-way stop.
Others struck a more nuanced tone, acknowledging that AI could play a transformative role while resisting the notion that it would instantly render physicians obsolete. In these discussions, commenters often predicted a future where doctors work with AI — as interpreters, guides and human liaisons — rather than being outright replaced, emphasizing the value of human judgment and empathy in medicine that cannot easily be coded into software or robots.
Source: Hindustan Times