It's an interesting question, but I think the question of whether AI is conscious is mostly irrelevant. Whether it is or not, it could still have devastating effects on society and be powerful enough. I worry that people will overplay the consciousness problem and emphasize that consciousness is unlikely to hide the inevitable dangers of AI – which is the further concentration of wealth and power into the hands of big tech and technology in general.
So true.
Humans have consciousness, and we know they cannot be trusted.