I too think there is merit in exploring to what degree conciousness can be approximated by or observed in computational systems of any kind. Including neural networks.
But I just can't get over how fake and manipulative the framing of "AI welfare" or concern over suffering feels.
That's reasonable, I certainly believe that there are many fake and manipulative people who say what's best for their personal gain, perhaps even the majority. But I still think it's reasonable to imagine that there are some people are genuinely concerned about this.
