I find this interesting:

>The goal of his project, which is partially funded by Microsoft, is to create an artificial system that works like human consciousness.

So we have bioethicists working on whether or not these brain cells in a petri dish count as conscious. And apparently a lively and varied debate on the subject.

Is there anything comparable for computer based consciousness? Why do we believe that bio-matter has more rights than synthetic, in terms of consciousness? Is it simply the bio that matters?