Where did it all go wrong?

Been playing for over 10 years myself, off and on. The biggest unfair threat to the game being popular is multi-accounts. I reported a player that admitted to having two accounts (provided screenshots of both admissions) and nothing was done. And if a player is actually banned from a match, it is usually far too late to be meaningful. Either the match is already decided (late game or has ended), OR the cheater has taken so much land that it gives an unfair advantage to the person that can take it first. Plus, it leaves a huge AI army for the cheater's enemies to deal with. COW supposedly has an anti-cheat system but I have no clue why it doesn't stop cheating.

Over 11 years playing. Here are the issues I see with the game in order. 1) Multi accounts and account sharing. It is so bad, people will admit it in game because they know nothing will happen even if reported. 2) Large alliances taking over scenarios, even solo events to pad their stats. 3) Players have admitted to me in game they are using AI to play. Totally negates players who pay for premium. 4) Players seem desperate to cheat to win. Sign of the times I guess.

How do players use AI to play real time in game?