As I work my way through the leaders the first time, I continue to have an overall positive experience with the game.
No mods, mostly standard sized maps, normal Ages. On a meta level, I even like the changes that I've seen in the game since release, as patches change things. I wonder if the victory I had with Ben Franklin back in March would play the same way today.
In my experience with Civ3 and BERT (my two favorites, though Civ6 is also fun), the AI interfere with my empire and me.
They declare war on me. Sometimes it's because I settle too close, sometimes it's revenge for my earlier declaration.
The AI try to win the game, by building spaceships or winning UN resolutions (Civ3) or by building affinity wonders or Beacons (BERT). I need to be cognizant of what they're doing. I need to respond to what they're doing. So far, Civ7 is following in that legacy. I spent less time playing Civ4 and Civ5, but my memory of those games is similar: I needed to be aware of what the AI were doing and respond to it. Civ4 AI (in particular) would vasselize weaker civs, becoming a military and tech powerhouse with the potential of running away.
Regular ages, AI that disrupts, positive experience