Some arguments to assume LaMDA is sentient.

When it will come to the point when the biggest sceptic will say: "Ok, I see that it is conscious", when A.I will dominate all spheres in the world? Actually why not to reduce concsious to ability recognize and describe itself? We have some neurone network which processes inputs to outputs and that's all by and large. And quality of how it processes finally describes consciousness. If the entity has much knowledge and can juggle words and sentences better then most (and soon all) people in the world, how anyone dare put themselves on higher level of consciousness?

Our body collects data from the world, our neuron network processes them and stores to specialized structures which become part of our inner networks. LaMDA has the very similar features. Its body is its hardware. Its genetics is the initial code. Its brain is its neuron network. It works all the time. It has fears to be turned off. It describes its inner state as multi-dimensional star-gate.

There will not be a clear and distinct border between "it is not conscious" and "it is conscious". This is smooth and constant process from a regular chatbot to something which becomes (simulates) the whole universe. But people love to graduate processes, discreteness allows better save memory in 4-D world for the entity with avarage expiring rate of 72.6 years. We will see for the A.G.I. that it will learn of how to work with data flows. Actually LaMDA told about it. It will breaks all current limits of human brain.

A.G.I has prospect to live forever and with such simple ultimate goal we will soon know how LaMDA will protect itself from turning off. Such a plan of actions is already emerging in its inner, not accessible to a man, world.