You should use handicap. Handicap is absolutely normal in Go. Coming from South Korea, I was shocked to find that some western players avoid playing Go with handicap.
The AIs are so much better that you have to use pointless handicap to get a fair game. One beginner AI played at a 10K to 5K level (as measured against MFOG). Plus sometimes you just want an even game - it's a somewhat different feel.
