AI is more "grown" than it is "hard-coded". It's sideways to normal software - the way DSP is sideways to normal software but somehow even worse.
It all comes down to hard logic eventually, but that "eventually" has teeth. None of the interesting behaviors of AI systems live in "engine.py".
My point is: there are tasks where the choices are to use AI, use a meatbag, or suck forever. The "use AI" option going to be flawed, and often in the same ways "use meatbag" is. But it's going to be cheaper, much more scalable, and a lot better than "suck forever". Humanlike flaws are the price you pay for accessing humanlike capabilities.
You sound like the type of meatbag that goes "a human would never make this type of mistake", then makes a mistake at least twice as embarrassing, and either never notices, or immediately memory holes it to preserve his overinflated self-image.
It all comes down to hard logic eventually, but that "eventually" has teeth. None of the interesting behaviors of AI systems live in "engine.py".
My point is: there are tasks where the choices are to use AI, use a meatbag, or suck forever. The "use AI" option going to be flawed, and often in the same ways "use meatbag" is. But it's going to be cheaper, much more scalable, and a lot better than "suck forever". Humanlike flaws are the price you pay for accessing humanlike capabilities.