In your hypothetical, regardless of the reason, isn’t it true that at this point in time, at certainly at the point of creation, the creator(s) had more power (broadly construed) than the creation?
Isn’t that what a “god” is-—for example, the idea of the Greek gods were very human-like but with more power than humans?
Wouldn’t your proposed aliens be “gods” in that vein?
By whatever means, were they not superior in power to what they created at the time they created it? The argument that I think you’re making-—that the creation may some day be manifested as equal or superior to its creator-—is beside the point.
You said you would stipulate to a definition of “god(s)”—ie., not talking about the God of the Bible—and I said an alien race that, by dint of inherent power or advanced civilization or advanced technology, could create humans and the Earth would functionally be “gods” over those humans and the Earth.
The master remains the master unless and until the student overtakes him.
We, the human race, have yet to overtake our creator, and your argument that we may become as powerful as our creator in the future-—or even that we are as powerful now, but will learn to manifest that power only in the future-—doesn’t change that reality now.
Right now, viz-a-vis the creator, we are still the creation.