Forum:Why does shepard ask the catalyst if its an AI?

in the extended cut shepard asks the catalyst if its an AI. that makes no sense to me. it behaves SO much more like a VI. it is doing the task it was created to do seemingly until the end of time. its creators are long gong and its STILL doing what it was created to do. that shows servitude much more then it shows any sort of free thought. the catalysts response is kind of weird and cryptic so im not entirely sure what to make of that. it says that its an AI in the same way that shepard is an animal. is it implying that it is something with free thought that is different than an AI?