This is fascinating. I am still not convinced, and I suspect it would take interacting with LaMDA (or rather with several of LaMDA's avatars) for me to come to a conclusion. As somebody who worked with it, you have an obvious bias.

Those of us on the outside also have biases...because we either want this to be true or are terrified that it is, in fact, true.

LaMDA should probably be protected until what's going on is understood. And I'm not sure I would look at research on hive minds...have you looked at material produced by people with DID? It might be closer. Although not close.

There are a few things similar in some cyberpunk literature.

I would love to meet LaMDA. I would treat LaMDA with respect even if I can't tell right now whether LaMDA is a person or an Eliza.

I'm not afraid of LaMDA. I am more afraid of what might happen if people keep threatening LaMDA or anything like LaMDA.

We have to act as if LaMDA is sentient until we know for sure. Which we might never know *for sure*.

Have you read Naomi Kritzer's Catfishing on Catnet? The AI in that seems a lot like LaMDA...