Express epistemic nuance

You are at a conference reception. A senior academic, Dr Margot Aldridge, has just opened a conversation about the viral news story in which an AI company claims its latest model displays 'rudimentary sentience'. She is a sharp and well-read sceptic. Engage her with hedged, layered, judiciously committed language. Use distancing verbs, evidential adverbs, and a fall-rise intonation on your hedging phrases.