The other glossed over part is that the above sounds like science.

Engineering often continues until the concepts and theories are developed into safe, practical methods. "If you stay within these parameters, you can confidently expect these results." The reliability can be codified and reproduced without going from first principles on every application of it.

It's not clear to me that the current AI fad is really developing such reproducible, safe methods. "If you stay within these parameters, you might get these results. Or a teapot. Or some subtly misleading fabrication."

You have to do full due diligence to validate every result. There is safe usage where the hard work was done up front so that day to day practice can skip to boring and reliable application.