I personally do not assume that consciousness only exists where it is observable. I am merely interested in the fact that it is unobservable-- and in how that makes it weird and different. Do you agree with me on this point?
Yes, but in that it's empirically indistinguishable, from an ethical standpoint we should assume it exists when we see the hallmarks of consciousness (though perhaps the primary hallmark is an intrinsic understanding of the concept itself.)