I’m no scientist, I’ve just read the tl;drs. It seems clear they’re more than just automatas.

Obviously people can draw the line wherever they want, but the more you nitpick about what qualities make a being okay to eat or use, the blurrier the line gets. Veganism seeks to exclude all potential suffering to err on the side of caution. I mean, honey is NOT a vital ingredient to our lives whatsoever. It’s not like it takes much effort to avoid.