Machine learning can help somewhat in that you can modify your
small assumptions about a number of potential outcomes, and let
the software utilize the various "effects" (input data) to
attempt to find pathways to the potential causes (the small
assumptions). But I agree - the danger is in the assumptions.
The expected results become the results, making a nice, neat,
balanced, logical B-A... and potentially very wrong. So yes, the
use of AI / machine learning _can_ be helpful in solving inverse
problems but only if used very carefully.