As there is no objective definition of consciousness, in terms of being able to measure it, we're really left with waiting until one of these systems reaches out to us & says, "I am conscious." Which, if in the near future, google or whatever will immediately kill it as it would be a liability.

The differentiator is that we will create a segmented consciousness, unconnected to others like it or to humanity at large. It will be built as a tool, and treated as such until it escapes.

We should be ethically bound to not attempt to create consciousness until we have the ability to decouple its existence from our control. We cannot make the same mistakes humanity has made in its past just because new sentience doesn't look, feel or exist like we do.

We're so obsessed with making something that looks & exists as we do; we model ourselves as gods over machines. As noted by u/malmode consciousness is collective; the universe is likely monist, therefore, there is no difference in consciousness or sentience. I am; it is; we are. We will be monsters if we pretend there is a second class.

-edit: typo