An interesting essay (in the traditional sense of the word from its inventor, Montaigne--that is, a freewheeling exploration of an idea rather than a formal argument for or against it. I agree with Colin Mathers that "simulation theory" is empty speculation, as is "God" since neither hypothesis can be proven or disproven, and there is no consensus on the definitions. But I agree with you that there is no way that a robot or AI system could actually experience things subjectively, the way we do. With clever programming, they may simulate subjectivity, but that is just mmick; they can function perfectly well without it (as do bacteria and insects) So again, what is "consciousness"?

My own view--which is no better or worse than others--is that consciousness is simply awareness of awareness, and that it coevolved with digital language, as a logical extension into the linguistic/conceptual sphere (which Teilhard labeled "the Noosphere") of our innate need, as living organisms, to maintain a membrane between ourselves and the world we inhabit, so that we can do what all organisms do: act in our own behalf, seek food and mates, make babies who will outlive us, and evade predators.

Language also, of course, gave us the ability to socialize and cooperate to a far greater extent than other hominids or any other animal, and to pass our knowledge intact down to future generations. And this socialization provided the stuff of an ongoing internal narrative by which we ceaselessly invent, and nurture, a "self." But these are all linguistic constructs--or in modern parlance, software. Still, underlying this inner chatter we carry around with us is the occasional, luminous, paradoxical awareness that we are, in Martin Luther King's words, "caught in an inescapable network of mutuality" where "whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

Far eastern cultures (especially Buddhism) are well ahead of us in the West in their understanding of the deeper levels of subjective experience, where, after focused, consistent, and prolonged meditation, the duality between "self" and "world" evaporates...for a while. But such numinous experiences change us, making us more inclined to be benevolent and compassionate toward others, embrace our present moment with joy, and abide in equanimity, no matter what happens. So yes, in that regard, we are utterly unique in our experience (as far as we know).

My cat can eat when hungry, sleep when tired, interact with me playfully when in the mood, but he has no concept of "catness" or of "I" floating around in his brain, since he has no words. So he is aware, like all other beings on the planet--but he has no awareness of being aware.