Did they actually have thinking machines (true AI), or was it just like our real world computers and the best they can do is faking it through statistical analysis of large corpora of data (generative AI)?

No one:

Zalander: *INSERT MIND-BENDING COMMENTARY*

Wait, did Zalander just say he is as much a living thing than a computer? I'm very confused now.

Time for a machine to switch on and provide a message to these unlucky visitors...

@someone: for all we now they may not have either, and juste have regular old computers, which Valiant describes the best he can with his level of knowledge.

@Welf: Zalander is a ghoul and ghouls are undead, as we saw with Infinite. But as ghouls are very much sentient, they follow Valiant's definition.

@Welf
The real definition of "living being" is quite a bit different. As far as we can tell, Ghouls can't grow or reproduce.

Sentience doesn't really play into it, though it is very common. But we're not sure if plants are sentient and they are definitely alive.