Elon Musk predicts robots will outperform top surgeons within five years

Robots could surpass the best human surgeons in performing medical operations within the next five years, said Elon Musk, head of the U.S. Government Efficiency Enhancement Department (DOGE).

"Robots will outperform good surgeons within a few years and the best surgeons in about five years," Musk wrote on X.

He noted that his company Neuralink had to use robots for implanting electrodes into the brain because human hands cannot achieve the required speed and precision.

Founded by Musk in 2016, Neuralink develops brain implants that could allow humans to control devices with their minds and counter the risks posed by artificial intelligence. In 2023, the company announced it had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin human clinical trials.