It seemed that some years before, researchers at MIT and elsewhere were quite convinced that a human being is completely made up of matter/material energy and is ultimately a highly advanced computer--a highly advanced machine. Is that conviction still alive?

Is it possible that robots / advanced AI machines will one day become cognizant of their surroundings, will have thrilling experiences while reading a mystery novel, will enjoy a comedy show, or will possess emotions (happiness, anger, shame/shamelessness, embarrassment, audacity, rascaldom, cunning etc.)/feelings (pride, grief, narcissism, superiority/inferiority complexes etc.) just like we humans do. Will they develop consciousness on the level of current human beings or even animals, like feeling pain, hunger, need to sleep etc.?

Are the researchers close to achieving this in the near or distant future? (What exactly does “happiness”, "shame", “love”, or “fear” reduce to in advanced AI systems language? What kind of particle interactions?)

Try as they might for millions of years, it is highly improbable that the most intelligent researchers would ever be able to make a robot / advanced AI machine even slightly conscious by any purely material (modern scientific) methods, because the modern researchers are totally unaware of the absolutely non-material entity (or the spirit soul, which is beyond the jurisdiction of modern material/mental sciences) which forms the very basis of consciousness and life, and they think what they cannot understand, no one else (outside their field) can.

For more information, and insights, please consult the book:

Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science, by Richard L. Thompson (PhD. Mathematics, Cornell University, researcher in statistical mechanics, probability theory and mathematical biology).

The most advanced robot/AI machine of the future may at best become an extremely sophisticated philosophical zombie, but (although appearing to be conscious, or simulating consciousness), won't ever be a conscious entity. But it is still possible that the developers of the machine may try to pass it off as "conscious".

Simple answer: “No soul: no life, no consciousness.”