This certainly is true depending on the industry. In ad tech for example, countless companies claim they're using AI to optimize digital campaigns in real time

This certainly is true depending on the industry. In ad tech for example, countless companies claim they're using AI to optimize digital campaigns in real time or whatever, when it's just a "dump Google analytics into Google BQ and run regressions". Good companies do exist but you have do really look for them. I have seen first hand a big old company buying for millions an "automl startup" which was just a simple web interface to pycaret. Career progression comes naturally when you, at once, work with something you like and it has impact/meaning. You have to find both.