Lots of talk about making the AI better, smarter, more this or more that.

Proposal
Allow actual players to "Step Into" AI role for limited time in a random game, and they get to play as that country for 48 hours. Just long enough to wreak some havoc, but not long enough to mess up the game too badly...

There would be no choosing as to which game you join, just "Yes into a random country in a random game" or "NO" when such a slot is available. That game shows up as part of your Active Games List, then is removed from your roster when your time expires.

Certain Criteria would need to be met to open a country to be "Stepped into" by live player
-Game must be in at least the 2nd week (gives actual players in game a chance to start)
-Country being "Stepped Into" must have been AI for 1 Week

Added this after a bit more consideration...
-having "Stepped into" a country... you can ONLY declare 2 wars. prevents player from WarDecking Every Real Player for Morale Penalties
-Once player is gone, after their 48 hrs expires, AI immediately offers Peace/Truce after withdrawing units

This would be a... lights a fire but doesn't burn down the entire forest kind of action.

I wasn't worried about YOU doing it... you're .... for all intents and purposes "mostly sane"... "most of the time"...
I was thinking of how much fun I could have in 48 hours...

Lolz

I always prefer to be underestimated... then when you're crying to yo mama... and she hugs you like when you were a wee-lil-ladd... and tells you not to worry about that "Mean CoW".....

Would be hilarious for Germany to hit France and Poland really hard (Leaving the Ruhr for Moral boosts later).. only to lose Berlin to Luxembourg...

I'd love to see that.

Added the Below section to the Original Post

As for the Popping into a comfortable game and causing mayhem part... Sure... even the Elite AI is predictable at best, not very challenging... I'm sure if you crunched the data... how many Real Player have been taken out by an AI? Maybe that's just me, but when victory is assured, the fight is of little value, when defeat is inevitable, then victory is that much sweeter.

Added this after a bit more consideration...
-having "Stepped into" a country... you can ONLY declare 2 wars. prevents player from WarDecking Every Real Player for Morale Penalties
-Once player is gone, after their 48 hrs expires, AI immediately offers Peace/Truce after withdrawing units

This would be a... lights a fire but doesn't burn down the entire forest kind of action.