What does that have to do with whether an AI will need living human beings?

The AI will need to simulate its history as a natural necessary component of its 'thinking'. For a powerful enough AI, this will entail simulation down to the level of say the Matrix, where individual computers and human minds are simulated at their natural computational scale level.

It seems like there is an unstated premise that living humans are equivalent to simulated humans. That's a defensible position, but implicitly asserting the position is not equivalent to defending it.

Yes. I'm assuming most people here are sufficiently familiar with this position such that it doesn't require my defense in a comment like this.