Meta does exist, but should be applied with caution in my experience. While newer players can often be caught by it, experienced players, or those who are self-aware, are capable of subverting their meta. I think meta reads should always be given on a case by case basis, and regularly exposed to critical evaluation.
But this may be one of those "agree to disagree" posts related to play style that can probably wait until post-game, as I don't think the use (or exclusion of) meta is AI either way, unless it's done to intentionally shade someone.