there is no proof that symbolic manipulation leads to an internal phenomenology.

in english: doing advanced mathmatics does not create thoughts or feelings.

or awareness of one's own existence.

it does not create a 'self' able to deduce a priori the existence of oneself or the external world.

or qualia.

again in english: there is nothing it is like to be an llm.

someone who thinks llms are conscious is probably a panpsychist. i don't think they have the features of consciousness defined even by functionalism.

here is one fairly famous thought experiment. mary lives in a black and white room. but she knows everything about color. in fact she predicts it so accurately nobody can tell the difference. she steps outside into the world of color. in the world where llms are conscious, she already knew color, so she experienced color, so there is nothing new it is like to see it.