It raises other, even more troubling questions IMO:
"What is the distribution of human consciousness?"
"How do the most conscious virtual models compare to the least conscious humans?"
"If the most conscious virtual models are more conscious than the least conscious humans... should the virtual models have more rights? Should the humans have fewer? A mix of both?"
"What is the distribution of human consciousness?"
"How do the most conscious virtual models compare to the least conscious humans?"
"If the most conscious virtual models are more conscious than the least conscious humans... should the virtual models have more rights? Should the humans have fewer? A mix of both?"