Yes! I didn't like summoning Alexander since Hope was my controlled character, only as a synergist so I could buff the party with haste, bravery or faith straight away. I hated how AI synergists would apply everything when it usually wasn't neccessary.
I would have loved to play as a different character besides Hope (nothing against him) but there were better summons (Bahamut and Hecatoncheir) and would have been interesting to play around with other classes/character more.