This has been bothering me about ST:Picard every time I stop to think about it... The writers were aware there were more 'synthetics' in the Federation than just Soong-type androids, right?

Holograms are synthetics too and there exists at least one sentient hologram, The Doctor (has he called himself Joe yet?). The Romulans in Picard didn't seem to particularly care what form a sentient AI took, but seemed lazer focused on Soong-type androids in the series even though holograms were more than obviously ever present.

While I get the focus of Picard was to highlight the relationship between Picard and Data, ignoring Holograms seems to be a huge oversight! Voyager had at least a handful of episodes showing sentient Holograms (even beyond the Doctor). If the Romulans were so against sentient AI, they would have attacked holograms as well (causing Star Fleet to have included them in the ban). I find this especially irritating as they bright 7of9 into the show! If this was going to be a fight for the rights of synthetics to exist, then how much better would it have been if, while Picard was trying to find/save Soji, Seven was trying to find/save the Doctor as well!

Even if you want to say sentient holograms are somehow different when speaking of "synths" than Soong-type androids are, at least acknowledge this in some fashion! Humans are hypocrits all the time, especially about exclusion of races, so, fine, Holograms are safe... at least bring that up. Make a case for Soong-types to be a greater threat.

I think, as I write this out, it's the fact they don't even mention Holograms when talking about synths in Picard... and here's Rios treating HIS holograms very much like Voyager did the Doctor at the very start of the series, and that was the Doctors whole arc for seven YEARS! COME ON!!!

takes a deep breath