i'm wondering if the AI might perform a little better if it had dedicated research and combat goals, especially with the new aspects of the game.
I'm not sure how much it does this now, but it seems like the AI favors super-weapons above all else.
Here are the suggestions for enhancements:
Aggressor favors ships, ship production facilities, and maybe some ship upgrades, much as it does now. good, old fashioned fleet spam.
Defender favors super-weapon rushing after setting up star bases and other defenses.
Economist favors building an economy and then titan rushing.
Researcher might do best for the research victory, but maybe picks a more balanced approach if that is not a victory condition.
the ability for the AI to do this will depend on its income, which is modified depending on difficulty and relies early capture of neutral worlds.
non-aggressors will have to build fleets as well and any may build titans or superweapons if they have the cash, but these might at least serve as initial goals for the AI to give it some coherence.