Rather than talking about consciousness which we can't even define or observe in others directly, why not focus on something more concrete - cost. A process or pattern that pays its costs, or gains to offset its costs. Why cost? Because cost decides what can be. It shapes what we can be, and what we need, including the need to learn from experience and act serially - to channel that parallel brain activity in a serial stream of actions.

So, how does AI stand? Humans pay their costs. AI is beginning to. It does not matter what we think about it, as long as it can self sustain and reacts to cost gating pressure. Of course not alone, it depends on us too, like we do individually also depend on society.