I think you are likely right, but it's more general than just about training costs. The term "AI" carries a ton of baggage, both good and bad.

To some extent, I think we also keep pushing back the boundary of what we consider "intelligence" as we learn more and better understand what we're creating. I wonder if every future tech generation will continue this cycle until/unless humanity actually does create a general artificial intelligence--every iteration getting slightly closer but still falling short of "true" AI, then being looked at as a disappointment and not worthy of the term anymore. Rinse and repeat.