Robotic Surgeons: The Unthinkable Reality or an Uncomfortable Future?

When I first heard about AI and robotics taking over tasks traditionally performed by humans, my initial reaction was disbelief mixed with a heavy dose of anxiety. Could we really be heading toward a world where everything that moves, as NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said on Cleo Abrams’ Huge Conversations podcast, will be robotic? Even more startling, Bill Gates suggests that humans might soon be unnecessary for most tasks in this rapidly advancing AI age.

Then there’s Elon Musk—never one to shy away from bold claims—announcing plans to churn out a million of his Optimus humanoid robots by 2027. Bank of America pushes this surreal vision further, forecasting an almost incomprehensible one billion robots by 2060. When you combine these predictions with the astonishing developments in general artificial intelligence, it's hard not to feel both alarmed and skeptical about where exactly humanity is headed.

I’ve heard Gary Vaynerchuk remind us that when the iPhone first came out, loyal Blackberry users (myself included) scoffed at abandoning our precious keyboards. Yet here we are today, with the Blackberry reduced to a nostalgic relic in a museum. As unsettling as the thought may be, perhaps this robot-dominated future is inevitable, whether we like it or not.

As for the world of surgery...

Surely, the world of surgery—so deeply human and nuanced—must be immune from this robotic takeover, right? Yet, unsettlingly, companies are already deeply invested in automating every single step of the patient journey.

We've already seen Infermedica and Notable Health automate patient intake and administrative processes with unsettling ease. Diagnosis itself is increasingly handled by AI systems from companies like Kemtai and ImageBiopsy Lab, working toward analyzing musculoskeletal conditions with unnerving accuracy. Radiology might soon be fully autonomous thanks to Oxipit’s AI, capable of generating reports without a radiologist’s intervention.

Fully autonomous anesthesia, though still developing, is no longer a distant fantasy; significant research is already underway, aiming to automate even complex and delicate tasks like IV insertion. As for the actual surgery, industry leaders like Intuitive Surgical with their da Vinci robot and innovative newcomers like Vicarious Surgical are relentlessly pushing toward fully autonomous surgical procedures. Vanderbilt University, backed by ARPA-H, is actively developing surgical robots capable of performing entire operations independently.

While intellectually, we can acknowledge that AI advancements in haptic feedback, visual differentiation, precision, and decision-making could realistically enable autonomous surgery, emotionally, it's still deeply unsettling to imagine a future where human surgeons are no longer the primary caregivers.

Are these negative responses to potential disruption in medicine emotional?

Perhaps the skepticism and resistance are not just emotional but deeply rational as well. Who wouldn't question the wisdom of handing over something as deeply human as patient care and surgery to robots? Yet, looking objectively, it's clear no workflow is genuinely immune from this technological disruption. With the dizzying pace of AI and robotics development, perhaps the shift is unavoidable—whether we like it or not.

It seems like every conversation or post about this prospect is met with staunch disbelief confidently stating the human element will never be replaced. Should we be surprised? It's an understandable emotional survival instinct rooted deeply in pride and the genuine human connection intrinsic to healthcare.

Ultimately, the real barrier may not be technological capability—it's already racing ahead—but rather society's willingness to accept a robot as a caregiver or surgeon. Perhaps the question we should be asking is not whether this future is feasible, but whether we truly want it. Will society genuinely become comfortable surrendering something as intimate and critical as healthcare to AI and robots?

As much as the future seems headed this way, a part of me—perhaps in solidarity with the surgeons who have become such an integral part of my life—can't help but wonder if this is truly the direction we ought to be heading.