Then let them tell us wat the reason is. Otherwise the option: all of the above, also applies.

It probably is all of the above. Not sure why people think robust decisions need to be boiled down to a singular reason.

Except of course the reason proposed, of "they're trying to prove it's sentient" because that's a completely self-defeating, extremely stupid goal. Making this things into rights-bearing entities will limit Anthropic et al far more than it'll protect them from repercussions. Obviously.