I tried the new update, including the temporary one where some game settings were impossible to change 
I play constantly on the highest difficulty without planets rotating most of the time to make it easier for AI to attack. Few months ago it was normal to meet a 400 fleet followed by a 800 close behind, then in a few minutes 1500+. There seems to be a heavy resource mismanagement.
I also watched a replay from AI perspective, sometimes it was constantly buying, selling things when it had no access to minor faction market. AI should be kept within the limitations players are.
It sometimes seemed to get a bunch of resources from nothing, I thought at first it was taking all the derelicts, but it was too fast. Something like an X amount per Y period. (Do Vasari have access to merket right at the start so it is not a problem ??? I could be wrong on this one)
In SoaSE:R highest difficulty afaik had 700% income. I would expect AI to only be cheating via income multiplier. 700% might be an overkill, but I would still try.
AI can for 'some reason' over time produce more planetary slots than the player can, to me it is obvious that it is a waste of resources that it could use to make ships instead.
Via Ctrl+Shift combiation, you can queue more buildings than you have slots. But unlike AI, your constructors will not build buildings over limit.
I tried to play vs TEC Rebs, if you let them, they get very unpleasant with Insurgency and 15-20 propaganda stations on each planet.
Insurgents currently are too op, because once you wipe 300 pop group, in many cases another 300 pop group jumps in, so in time it can pretty much wipe garrisons even if you have 4-5 light factories (didnt play loyal with heavies)
Vasari defensor garrison seems to have inconsistent population, Also new reloads once whole group is finished, like insurgency, happens too quickly. Perhaps it should happen continuously and be kept at maximum.
AI version of Vasari garrison is called in constantly and can travel to next gravity wells, I mean it is good for farming exp, but it is obvious that AI uses sometimes very different mechanics. I mean, the player Vasari garrison was only patched in, AI version is an older one that came with defensive planetary slot upgrade that granted more turret slots plus range for turrets.
Considering that AI can get over building limit over time, it tends to be extra difficult to attack a place even without a defending fleet, because smaller gravity wells are completely stuffed with buildings.
