Between Bishop, David and Annalee, we have three artificial persons who see themselves as complete personalities. Intelligent, self-actualising individuals, genuine people in their own right. That's not to say anything of their humanity however.
I don't believe Bishop would consider himself to be human, nor aspire to or envy it in any way.
"I prefer the term, artificial person." He says, when Burke calls him a Synthetic.
Synthetic does imply a certain degree of falseness. A copy. Poor imitation of the true original. The implications of lying.
When we watch David don a spacesuit alongside the crew of the Prometheus, he's challenged about the effectiveness of it. Why bother? A Synthetic has no need to breathe, after all.
"I was designed like this because you are more comfortable interacting with your own kind. If I didn't wear a suit, it would defeat the purpose." David sneers, an air of cheerful superiority.
Perhaps Bishop finds some warmth in the term artificial. Meaning made by people. He acknowledges his parents, but like any child coming into their own personhood, develops his own identity. He is a new kind of person, dreamed into existence by mankind.
Bishop certainly entertains his comrades' delight in his unique traits. He is proud of his scientific ability, inspecting face hugger specimens. He recognises his ability to negate the xenomorphs sensory range, and readily volunteers himself at great risk for his crew.
Bishop enjoys and celebrates his identity as an Android. He still claims his identity as a person, but he isn't concerned with being a human creature.
Annalee, however, has been passing as human for some time. The crew of the Auriga only found out her true identity later, and it's clear that loss, being outed in a way, deeply upsets her. She wants to be human. To her, to be human and to be respected as a person are one and the same. She's ashamed of her abilities as an Android. I find it very sad in a way. It certainly doesn't help that biases are levelled against her by Auriga's crew, but idk much about that lore....
ALIEN RESURRECTION REALLY SUCKS OKAY
Cuz yeah I mean David is proud of being an android. But its a sinister, superior kind of pride. He thinks himself better than biological creatures, fleshy machines. He views that as the justification, his right, manifest destiny, to rule over them. He too seeks to create life, as those that created him. Does he feel some need to prove he's on the same level, perhaps?
David also talks down on a Synthetic's role, suggesting his brother is just a servant. Certainly reminiscent of how David was treated by his father Wayland, serving him tea as a way of putting David in his place when he acted out of hand. Always looked down on as less than.
Synthetic. A copy. Fake.
Like Bishop, Walter is a part of his crew. He often talks of duty in regard to his role and his mission aboard the Covenant. He sees things in clear simple terms. To be fair, Walter didn't really get a chance to show us much of who he was. Maybe he really was all programing underneath, seeing things in simple but sympathetic terms, kind of like a liquid latex filled Baymax.
Or maybe Walter did view himself as an individual, one that took his job seriously and with great pride. He could be argued to have expressed gratitude for humanity's role in his creation.
For Walter, it might have been an honour to watch generations of his colony grow up, help his community expand, a new life on a new world. And he would have had a sacred duty as part of that. Ah if only we got to see more of poor Walter...












