idk, is there anyone here that relies solely on VI to type? usually i see those using VI also preferring to confirm their typings with video, quotes, etc. from the person in question. i agree that solid typings must come from more than VI, but for people who are experienced with VI, it's often based on a bit more than a mere hunch. sometimes the way people present themselves can give you useful information that might be relevant to their type.
as far as VI having "no empirical evidence to support it whatsoever", well a lot of people would argue that about socionics as a whole
i disagree that there's no evidence though, e.g. Filatova showed through her portraits the visual similarities that people of identical types often share (and she did not type them using VI). after typing many identicals, it's not hard to become familiar with these similarities, and this is what helps to VI others of the same type later on.