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Elon Musk calls medical school ‘pointless’ as he predicts AI will outperform human doctors
Elon Musk sparked debate after saying AI would make medical school pointless, claiming future healthcare would surpass even what world leaders receive.
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A snippet from a recent podcast featuring Elon Musk has gone viral on X, sparking a wider debate on the future of healthcare, automation and medical education. The discussion took place on a YouTube podcast hosted by Peter H. Diamandis, executive chairman of the X Prize Foundation, with David Blundin, co founder of DataSage, also part of the conversation.
The snippet was shared on X by the account @unusual_whales and quickly gained traction. In the clip, Musk makes a sweeping claim about the future of healthcare, saying, "Everyone will have access to medical care that is better than what the president receives right now."
Reacting to the statement, Diamandis asks, "So don't go to medical school?"
Musk responds bluntly, "Yes. Pointless. Unless you... I would say that applies to any form of education."
Debate on humans versus machines
The conversation then turns to how younger generations may view medical care. Diamandis notes, "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."
Musk follows up with an example from existing medical technology. "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?"
To this, Diamandis simply replies, "No," prompting laughter from all three participants.
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Online reactions pour in
The clip has triggered mixed reactions online, with several users weighing in on Musk’s remarks. One user commented, "The unpopular truth nobody wants to hear: Elon is spot on that AI will make elite level medical care free and universal so fast that going to med school today will look as pointless." Another wrote, "Don't worry AI will take care of it."
Others echoed similar optimism, with comments such as, "AI is going to change the world in a number of ways. Healthcare will have a huge change soon enough," and "I agree medicine is the proving ground of AI." Another user added, "I completely agree with Mr Musk."
