Watching old episodes of ER won't make you a doctor, but watching videos may be all the training a robotic surgeon's AI brain needs to sew you up after a procedure. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University have published a new paper showing off a surgical robot as capable as a human in carrying out some procedures after simply watching humans do so.

Robotic surgery is already used widely, and having an AI capable of handling parts of an operation independently could allow human surgeons to concentrate on more complex issues, ultimately leading to

A robot trained via video observation performs surgery with skill rivaling human doctors, moving robotic surgery closer to autonomous procedures.

Researchers have developed a robot capable of performing surgical procedures with the same skill as human doctors by training it using videos of surgeries. The team from Johns Hopkins and Stanford Universities harnessed imitation learning,

But before it gets to work on human patients, the tiny robotic arms practiced on a pork loin. Doctors have increasingly integrated the da Vinci Surgical System into an array of procedures since the device’s debut in 2000.

A research team used videos of surgeries and the machine learning architecture behind ChatGPT to successfully train a robot to do basic tasks like manipulate a needle, lift body tissue and suture. Why it matters: Showing a robot can perform with the skill of a doctor opens up new possibilities for devices like the widely used da Vinci surgical system and reduce the risk of medical errors,

It takes years of intense study and a steady hand for humans to perform surgery, but robots might have an easier time picking it up with today's AI technology.