If you give driving jobs to a series of remote workers you'll end up creating a lot of new jobs. EMTs, doctors, ambulance truck assembly, etc.
which is worse over time - developing automation to take over certain jobs or staffing certain jobs with offshore contractors?
That depends on where you want the money going: everybody involved in developing and maintaining automated systems at home and abroad (high-skilled labor) or everybody involved in controlling drones from afar (low-skilled labor). Of course, the amount going to either group will be drastically different depending on a multitude of factors.