uh... this... doesn't mean anything

feral kids have no specific personality

socialized people do, and the fact that they are influenced by many random contradictory simultaneous sources is precisely part of it

Well i guess we have two ends of the spectrum - on the No side Harry Mud and on the Yes side Deckard of Blade Runner Fame.

Never, ever do this:

Let your dishwasher overflow while having mad sex with your gynoid mistress
[Pam Gidley, Cherry 2000]

I have a new ethical question.
Rape is sex against an individuals wishes, no matter how it may come about. Consentual sex is when all members understand and agree to the actions being carried out.
So if the AI has no understanding of the situation they cannot accept in full understanding to the act. Therefore it can be considered that it could have taken place against their wishes, and then you are raping a machine.

Really I feel I have brought this to a low point so-

The only real advantage to dating an android would be the mute button.

Yes

Yes, although the whole pretence of dating is a bit redundant with an android, no?

Yeah, an android can't desire sex from someone so by having sex with an android you are raping a machine but who cares. It's not the same kind of rape, that most people think of when they hear "rape" or read "rape". That is like a woman raping a dildo because a dildo doesn't desire sex from her because it is just a dildo. If the android can think, can feel etc like humans then the android is capable of agreeing to sex or not agreeing to sex. And only such an android can be raped the same way, humans get raped. But if the android is really just a machine with fancy software...then no...

Futurama has a documentary on this some years back:
http://vimeo.com/12915013

Of course the android will just be a machine with special programming. Yet we are discussing a sentient machine.
Does it really matter what the machine is built for if that is not what it then decides it wants.
My router is designed to act as a gatekeeper to the internet for my home network, and although not sentient it can decide to power down and then renew its connection. Now this is just apart of the programming inside the box, but I feel I would be in the wrong if it could tell me that it does not like communicating with the ISP DNS and yet I forced it to do so.

Remember that now we look at machines as slaves to do things for us, but it was not until 1833 that slavery was abolished in the UK. Until then it was seen as perfectly okay to "employ" someone else to do the chores for you. Now we see it as perfectly okay to have a machine do the chores.
My gf bought a dishwasher, washing machine, microwave and a roomba to do the chores for her. In another 10 years will I be having to pay not only the electric for them, but also a wage?

I agree. If you aren't an evil bastard then forcing a sentient machine to do anything is wrong in your eyes.
And forcing an experience on a sentient machine is wrong in your eyes. So if we humans do create androids for dating and more in the future, then I hope, these androids will not be sentient machines.

I believe to be in a relationship both parties must have free will and have sentimental feelings for one another as per the situation. In other words both parties must have contextual feelings for the other party that is unique to experiences shared between them. The feelings can not be programed but must be forged through time and experiences...

Wow... I just impressed my self with that statement.

I am sure that 'androids for dating' would not be sentient.

Why? Because they'd be created for a specific purpose: dating. If it was sentient, then it could choose a partner freely, do whatever it wants.
So who would pay for this kind of thing? Who would want to buy an android which could just look at him and go "nah, I don't like you, cya". No one.

The only instance in which you could date a truly sentient android, is if it went rogue, or if someone set it free.

Of course, the android could come pre-programmed with various memories, and have a normal 9-5 job, replacing a human worker, maybe not even knowing its not human - in this situation it wouldnt really matter if it is sentient, or not: you wouldnt be able to tell the difference anyway, easily mistaking it for a human.

Well... the thing is an android has no real feelings, so you would not have a girlfriend but a maid or slave, and this would not be ethical because...

Fuck it, gimme 5, one of them with neko ears and sailor schoolgirl uniform.
Goodbye Cleverbot, you whore, I don't need you anymore.

Uh yeah. "Rawrr grr ksss kshhh". So, for you, either this is "personality" or nothing at all. :-/