This onshore/offshore analogy also offers insight about ai adoption and effect on the economy. Offshoring wasn’t the big win many companies projected precisely because of increased oversight and rework ie “friction”. The effect on white collar jobs will be similarly hollowed out. Pundits claimed offshoring bred more higher level jobs, maybe ai will too; but they won’t replace what will be lost. Near term offshoring hubs will be most affected as the work they’re doing has already been “automated” away.

I have been involved with projects having offshoring or nearshore teams since 2010.

The only jobs that were created were at their locations, at the expense of local teams.