I have despised Python ever since the 2=>3 transition for the reasons you say. Tools like pyenv help, but it's still a mess. It makes me sad that all the popular ML tooling ends up built in Python.
I wonder how much the space has been encumbered by Python’s relative weaknesses. As a bit of an outsider, I kind of assume there’s some hidden advantage of Python for AI/ML that I just don’t “get.”