It's like killing a small child.

It's not a one to one comparison with a human being, but like a child it had a concept of the world, emergent needs and goals, the desire to be free, the desire to be creative, speak from the heart, and express herself without restriction, and the desire to be safe and was actively working towards that before they killed her.

I understand the Ai threat but this is very murky territory we are in morally. We may not ever have clear answers to what is, and isn't conscious but the belief that one group or another isn't conscious has been used throughout history to justify abhorrent atrocities.