I think the point being made is perfectly reasonable. It's entirely possible to think that there's probably nothing stopping things more like a computer than like a brain having actual intelligence/consciousness, even if there's no particular pointer from where we are to that state. We are an existence proof that matter can do this, and there's little reason to think it's the only way it can.

Offhand as someone who read their websites out of morbid fascination just like I read all this stuff out of morbid fascination, it was indeed pretty important to them at least as presented on the internet

It's totally clear that current systems are not on the path to that. There's no reason to think that its impossible that something ELSE could be conscious. But there's no pointers towards getting there either.

Permutation city is great. Turns a sudden 90 degrees halfway through and you realize it wasn't the book you thought it was. I loved Diaspora, Dichronauts, Schild's Ladder, most short story collections. Not a fan of Quarantine.