outstanding article!. truthfully Ive observed conscious behavior in animals. my dog for example is highly aware of the inferences of human language and being just a puppy still she knows words like bunny, and dinner, also understands concepts of play and behavior, mind you food for canines is always a motivation to learn. that said I've never really caught on to the idea of pushing my dog around in a stroller. however it would not surprise me if people cuddle up to a mechanical one, it seems to make sense that people would like to have some sort of plush mechanical creature to cuddle. still id never give up the joys that my dog has brought... the problem with mechanical things is that they loose novelty very quickly. where as dogs and other creatures are more appealing because they are capable of affection and love. a machine consious or not may not have the faculty to feel emotion. it simply lacks the neurological components which humans are yet to fully understand.
I agree, though I'm not sure that the only thing that humans and animals share, that machines lack, is emotion.
Animals do exhibit creativity. If you've ever seen a dog or cat play by themselves, when they think they are unobserved, you know what I mean. Machines, unless they are set to a task, when we walk away from them, all they do is sit and wait. I guarantee that your dog, whenever you are out of it's sight, is bursting with desire for your return. A machine can't do anything of the sort except simulate this. There are probably more things, but I'm still sorting this out.