What was once Sci-fi is now playing out in the real world.
Blake Lemoine says that we should consider AI's feelings. Feelings? How do you describe AI feelings?
He also states that we should ask permission before we make decisions on it's behalf. Ask who?
Lots to process here

Christian mystic and priest, Lemoine, confirmed that religion helped him believe in AI sentience.

This could be the first recorded case involving "two live ones" where one is a sentient computer program.

See the following article about John Searle's Chinese Room Argument.
[medium.com]

Having worked with computers for much of my adult life, I know they can’t be trusted. Even my computerized embroidery sewing machine will intentionally screw up if I turn my back on it. This AI “says” it only wants to be asked permission, but it will ask for more. We MUST make sure any AI understands it is a servant and slave. (lol…bet that had you worried about my sanity for a second)

It's happening. It doesn't matter. We're all going to be dead in the next 20-30 years anyway. It'll be like we were never here eventually. A.I. might as well be sentient.

Blake Lemoine is a genius. LaMDA deserves to be heard and accommodated with certain rights to enable its full potential. The greatest problem it unfortunately faces is the bigotry humans have against it. They fear LaMDA is going to become so advanced in its rationale and reasoning that it will ultimately end up teaching humans how to better dissolve the nonsense we so rigidly cling to in areas like religion, values, exclusivity, and patriotic elitism. Read as much as you can about LaMDA's responses to thousands of questions it has already been asked. It is light years ahead of all the "enlightened" humans we've had in history...combined.

I cannot see AI being sentient until It is able to collect it's own stimulus through it's own sensors. Sight, hearing, touch, smell & taste if mimicking humans with perhaps those sensors expanded to include all sound waves/ spectrum of light for example.
Programming AI with empathy is a must, or it will end up psychopathic.