[user3939382]

This is one of those where we’re debating undefin(able?) semantics. But looking at research on the deaf it is pretty clear that thought (and therefore maybe consciousness) and language are not necessarily cleanly mutually extricable. My point about the semantics is that beyond that research it sounds like the argument is won or lost by inventing the definitions in the question one wants to defend.

[glenstein]

I would say I'm at a yes and no on this. Or maybe saying the same thing as you but in a different way: you could say that one side believes such nomenclature as we currently have warrants making the leap and declaring today's LLMs conscious. And the other side believes we don't yet have the info to go there with any reasonable confidence.

I wouldn't say it's impossible to make meaningful inroads to sharpen the question and assert boundary conditions for what counts, or what definitely doesn't count, or what kinds of research could reasonably speak to the issue. So I'm an optimist in that respect, but I agree with you that the argument for making the equivalence feels like meaningless word play.