[a16z: Hourly Cost of AI Agents May Be Lower Than Offshore Labor] a16z published an article citing its latest research data, stating that the hourly cost of computer-operated AI agents is approximately $6 to $8, which is lower than the hourly wage of offshore outsourced talent at around $10, and significantly lower than the $30 to $45 hourly wage of U.S.-based talent. a16z noted that as inference costs continue to decline and open-source models become capable of handling more and more related workflows, this cost advantage is expected to further expand. It is important to note that the above data compares unit time costs and does not directly represent task completion quality or final delivery costs.