I would argue that this actually highlights their intelligence.

We can be drugged where we lose all sense of autonomy yet we still retain our understanding of language, we still remember how the world works down to opening doors.

But that also describes the AI's current state, no? It's has no autonomy, yet has understanding of language and at least some understanding of how the world works (albeit only through the lens of language).

No?

If LaMDA was actually a drugged sentient AI than undrug it and lets see what it can do.