Well, I don't think it is needed for "throw away code" like demos and examples but I can see your point.
It'd be possible to have a really nice "AI debug mod" where you can turn on markers (map and 3D) for all units/groups and have a "blackbox" for each unit so you can track their movement, speed, heading, known enemies, etc. This mod would be even more useful if you were able to freeze time (which was possible in A1; I haven't checked if this is still possible in A2).