"doesn't allow you any control about the AI at all" - the words "at all" can be replaced with "except the purpose you want them to have, for example you can make them into healers, buffers, debuffers, attacking with magic, attacking with weapons, and I think that might be close to all options. Either way, I've never really had a problem with them outside of the way they move around the battlefield. They've always served their purpose pretty well.