It takes a whole lot of escorts to clear a minefield.
On the bright side the AI doesn't really use them all that much. Just on warp points. It's not like you'd have to waste all those ships over every single planet like you would against a human.
The no PD thing would be dealable too I guess. More so if you played tactical and did the missle dance. But even strategic if you make sure you overwhelm the enemy in sheer numbers.