I think a large part of society just assumes things about intelligence. Things like uniform intelligence. We forget that humans have a huge range of intelligence and ability that isn't based on learning or innate ability. We have people with cognitive disabilities whose rights have been curtailed for the purpose of their own safety. We know that certain animals have intelligence at least on par with small children and animals with abilities that surpass our own. Chimps often beat humans at memorization games. We assume that a machine will not have reached true intelligence until it beats the smartest human at everything.

I think a more moral choice would be to, sooner rather than later, imbue all beings with the capability of self recognition with certain inalienable rights. And to also hold those things accountable for their actions as well. There is little difference in my mind between a deranged human who decides that he/she should harm as many people as possible, a machine that has decided to harm as many people as possible, and an elephant that has gone on a rampage. This line of thinking will better guide us if we come into contact with sentient and sapient alien life and when we finally create a computer capable of independent thought.

The true important thing is to have some form of the universe experiencing itself. If humanity is doomed and we've exhausted all options, then we should send out into space intelligent robots capable of self reproduction. If we meet aliens and the choice is them or nobody, then we have to choose them. By getting into a mindset of trying to determine whether an entity is greater than or equal to ourselves, we fall into the same trap as those who decided to call black people 3/5's of a human being or any other person who has struggled with the realization that the person sitting across form them has their own life and their own story. We fall into the trap of believing that we are always the protagonist.