But do they have to be one or the other? Even in terms of human contact this hasn't always been clear. IIRC The US made treaties with the Comanche not realising that chiefs were not responsible for each and every adult member of their "tribe". Hence a treaty made in good faith by both sides ended in chaos when some individuals decided on, what was to them a perfectly reasonable cattle raid.
What would be our interaction with a hive mind be like? An agreement with a Queen, a cooperation with workers and an unfortunate incident with a soldier?
An intelligence similar to a plant or fungal colony may be virtually immortal which may alter their view of transient life forms. Lord knows what evolved AI would be like and what view it would take of other beings.
There may be dangers in contact that we haven’t imagined yet – and of course there could be benefits.
And I'm still using Earth based analogies.
Personally I’m in full support of our evolved robot/tardigrade overlords.