>Are we more than the electric and chemical signals in our brains?

Yes: speaking loosely, we have organic bodies with highly sensitive nerves and hormonal pathways. Those are the basis of emotion and sensation. That's the foundation of consciousness or awareness.

An AI without our organic pathways is categorically different. That's what makes it artificial.

At some point, if we combine an AI with organic sensitivity, we will be creating intelligence itself, not artificial intelligence. So we can't ever create AI with consciousness, but we could artificially create consciousness.