What Every Technology Shift Can Teach Us About AI

What Offshoring Taught Us About Software Development

Around fifteen years ago, the industry was convinced that offshoring was the future of software development. The business case seemed impossible to ignore. Development could be done faster and at a fraction of the cost, so organisations across the industry rushed to move work offshore. Like many others, we explored the opportunities as well.

What followed wasn't a failure, but it was a valuable lesson.

It became very clear that software development isn't simply about writing code. It is about understanding systems, making sound architectural decisions and maintaining ownership throughout the entire development process. While development costs appeared lower on paper, much of the work simply shifted elsewhere. Teams spent more time writing detailed specifications, reviewing deliverables, clarifying misunderstandings and ensuring that the solution still reflected the original intent. The expected efficiency often disappeared into coordination, quality assurance and rework.

Eventually, the industry matured. Offshoring found its place, not as a universal solution, but as one tool among many. The organisations that succeeded were rarely those that outsourced everything. They were the ones that understood where offshoring created value, where it introduced risk and how to maintain ownership of the final product.

AI Changes the Work, but Responsibility Remains

That experience is worth remembering as we navigate the AI revolution.

The similarities are striking. AI can generate code in seconds at a fraction of the cost of traditional development, but someone still needs to define the problem, evaluate the solution and ensure that what has been produced is maintainable, secure and aligned with the broader architecture. As with offshoring, AI does not remove responsibility. It changes where that responsibility sits. Instead of spending all our time writing code, we increasingly spend time reviewing, validating and guiding what has been generated.

That is not a weakness of AI. It is simply the reality of engineering.

The Value Comes From Knowing Where to Apply AI

Perhaps the most important lesson is not about AI or offshoring at all. It is about how our industry responds to technological change. Every major innovation creates momentum. Suddenly, everyone feels compelled to move in the same direction because the market appears to have reached a consensus. We saw it with offshoring. We have seen it with cloud computing, agile methodologies and digital transformation. Now we are seeing it with AI.

The organisations that benefit most from these shifts are rarely those that move first or move fastest. They are the ones that combine new technology with the experience to apply it where it creates the greatest value. Engineering has never been just about doing things right. It has always been about doing the right things. AI gives us powerful new capabilities, but the greatest value comes from knowing how and where to apply them. That is how organisations turn technological innovation into lasting business value.