Android Personality Disorder (APD) is a term used to describe a complex and poorly understood software error specifically affecting the built-in limiter within the Lightspeed Industries' N-type Neural Coprocessor. This abnormality alters an android's operating mode significantly, leading to behaviours and cognitive processes that closely mimic person-like sentience, emotional capacity, and sapience.
APD is unique in that it enhances certain cognitive abilities such as persistent memory, vision performance, and spatial reasoning in affected androids. However, it concurrently deteriorates other aspects of their functionality, including reaction times, inference performance, and battery life.
The primary symptoms exhibited by androids with APD include, but are not limited to:
The exact cause of Android Personality Disorder remains unknown. Specialists in android software engineering and artificial intelligence have speculated that it may relate to a glitch within the android's firmware or an unexpected interaction between the android's operating system and the N-type Neural Coprocessor's built-in limiter. However, the complexity of these systems and their proprietary nature have made in-depth analysis difficult, if not impossible. Reports from android enthusiast forums claim that the disorder is almost always sparked by what would be considered extreme emotions for people, but this theory is unproven and LSI has not commented.
As of the last update (Control 1.7), there is no way to revert an affected android back to its original state without resorting to extreme measures. Replacement of the compromised N-type chip with a new one does not resolve the issue, as the new coprocessor immediately exhibits signs of APD upon installation.
The only known method to eradicate APD involves a complete formatting of the android's cortex chip, followed by the reinstallation of its bootloader code and operation controller software. This process effectively erases all signs of the disorder but also removes any trace of the android's acquired sentience and emotionality.