To quote/paraphrase Leonard susskind: people have a habit of philosophizing rather than sciencifizing when it comes to consciousness. It's scientific question - or at least it is at the moment. Some people want to enshrine human intelligence (i.e. free will and quantum mechanics), which I think is naive without some kind of guiding principle (Fermi's "for a successful theory you need either a strong physical idea or a rigorous mathematical basis; you have neither" to a young Dyson)

I remember being taught about this in a philosophy class, but I really can't help but not care - if it is technically possible I guess there will be a debate surrounding machine consciousness similar to transgender politics today (Uncomfortable to some but fine to - including me for the record - others).