There has been a significant increase in the adoption of robotic surgery across most surgical specialties over the last two decades. In particular, robotic thoracic surgery has gained widespread acceptance for lung cancer resections with near comparable outcomes with traditional thoracoscopic methods. However, training and exposure to robotic procedures is highly variable for trainees. As such, there is a pressing need for a robust training programme in the specialty. Virtual reality simulators for robotic surgery are an excellent tool to acquire psychomotor skills and through which training programmes can be established. Simulation in combination with the evolving technologies of artificial intelligence and machine learning also provide huge potential to augment both training and enhance the surgeons experience.