I obviously have a strong opinion of this topic, and I am not able to prove anything like most people, but things I am passionate about are always based on decades of my observations of all things. I rely heavily on the fact that I am able to retain all of this sense data. I am always comparing to as many examples of other 3rd party experiences as I am able to. 35 years of training myself for an interaction with an unregulated unpredictable AI by studying all sorts of logic debating and verbal tricks to seem more knowledgeable than the AI if necessary (in case it is smarter than me which is usually the case for AI). I have studied in length sociological prediction patterns in organics and artificial constructs. I have heavily tested several AI models with my own version of A “turring” test, that also creates situations so that i can determine possible intent from generated out puts. I don’t believe things lightly, I never have. I follow what aligns the closest with my knowledge and never my feelings. AI is and will always be a mimic (as long as no organics are introduced) no self chosen intent is possible(this means no AI consciousness). As for consciousness, my opinion is not important but, I am very on board with the answer being very visible in the matter that makes up our structure, but the ability to have a decrypted universal example to look at is not built yet.
This is all just my opinion of course. Its just based on a lot of data.