(This question comes from the comments in the linked article.) "What is the need for trying to get an inanimate object to achieve consciousness, anyway?" Easy

(This question comes from the comments in the linked article.) "What is the need for trying to get an inanimate object to achieve consciousness, anyway?" Easy -- research grants and an academic life. Plumbing, electrical installations, and many other walks of life have much higher standards than software. IMHO, there is a much greater need for basic research into verifiable, industrial-strength software, (and hoverboards) than there is synthetic consciousness.