I feel similarly to you.

Even amidst the pressure of "client X needs feature Y yesterday, get it done with maximum tech debt!" it felt like there were still chances to carve out niches of craft, care and quality.

The rise of "probabilistic" software feels like it is a gift to "close enough is good enough" and "ship first, ask questions later".

If only we all became scientists. We'll more likely become closer to tabloid journalists, producing something that sounds just truthy enough to get clicks.