“Robots will surpass good human surgeons within a few years and the best human surgeons within ~5 years,” tweets Elon Musk. “@Neuralink had to use a robot for the brain-computer electrode insertion, as it was impossible for a human to achieve the required speed and precision.”
Robots will surpass good human surgeons within a few years and the best human surgeons within ~5 years. @Neuralink had to use a robot for the brain-computer electrode insertion, as it was impossible for a human to achieve the required speed and precision. https://t.co/ipPhQK8z1j
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 27, 2025
The thought that robots are just toys for wealthy researchers to play or experiment with intersects with sober reality in a tweet like that. You might even say it is unnerving. It does so because the suggestion that robots could, might, or will substitute for human medical professionals performing surgery is hard to comprehend. And then the brain goes to thinking that if robots are capable of doing things like performing surgery, they are also capable of doing other things.