Not having to play on 100% AI difficulty in any% means exploits by playing on lower difficulties, i haven't done it yet but it could happen.

Can't speak for the other players but my run profited massively from low AI strength. When it comes to certain pieces, low strength AI refuses to capture them unless they would lose 1 turn after. I guess it has something to do with how valuable the pieces are in the game code. It's quite easy to spot with the infiltrator (high mobility unit with relatively low value) but there might be other pieces suited to similar tactics.