Hi!
in GC the survey ship started out at 1/1 i think.
IIRC it started at 0/1. But when it got an anomaly with weapons increase, I usually used it (and the fighter that also came out of some asteroids) as a deterrent of early colonizers of the nearby AI, to shut down its colony drive and took these planets for myself. Very powerfull tactics. I'm glad it's not possible in GC-2.
AI really needs to build survey vessles
It does. I've seen some: small hull, some weapons, life supports and survey module. It has been quite a surprise to me. But at the game-time I met it, I already wiped most galaxy clean of anomalies.
In my current game, I built about 10 survey vessels (tiny frame, survey pod, engine, nothing else). The AI has their flagship
Please realize your ships had speed 2-3. Survey ships of AIs had 4-5. So each covered almost as much space as two of your tinies, and went at least 4 sectors further as yours. If you put 5 AIs in the game, their survey ships took at least as much anomalies as you did, but likely more.
BR, Iztok