I think one relevant difference is between discrete/constrained/physical targets/results (a new material, a medical image classifier, etc.) and continuous/uncon

I think one relevant difference is between discrete/constrained/physical targets/results (a new material, a medical image classifier, etc.) and continuous/unconstrained/incremental targets/results (nlp at large, advertising, etc.)? The former would need an explanation to satisfy a peer-review, the latter are more than happy with a black box that just works and beats the competition?