@jfml @inkscape Inkscape.org/report.

But to dampen the expectations here, the issues you encounter are probably deeply routed in how the ai import currently works. Inkscape exploits that the ai file has pdf preview and opens that, with all limitations of pdf editing, and all the information that was lost.
This is what we want to change: read the _actual_ data of the ai file in order to retain high level editing information. Contributors welcome!