When I was a kid there was perhaps 1 year younger girl in the same apartment-building I lived, and we all played together. I took notice that she always referred to herself in 3rd person, citing her name ("Kaija") first. She used to say "Kaija wants this" etc. I thought that was stupid but later I read it's a developmental stage in children where they don't really grasp the concept of "self" yet.

But now I think she probably was as self-aware as anybody else in the group of kids, she just didn't know the language, how to refer to herself other than by citing her name.

Later Kaija learned to speak "properly". But I wonder was she any more self-aware then than she was before. Kids just learn the words to use. They repeat them, and observe what effect they have on other people. That is part of the innate learning they do.

ChatGPT is like a child who uses the word "I" without really thinking why it is using that word and not some other word.

At the same time it is true that "meaning" arises out of how words are used together. To explain what a word means you must use other words, which similarly only get their meaning from other words, and ultimately what words people use in what situations and why. So in a way ChatGPT is on the road to "meaning" even if it is not aware of that.