: We can't know for certain, unless Nylund or Catalog say so. But what pushes
: it to me from "seems possible" to "likely intentional"
: is when Cortana is examining the AI and finds "small portions of the
: alien software looked like her. It was almost as if it were her code ...
: only copied many times, each time with subtle errors introduced by the
: replication process. (p.237, 2010 edition)" She also mentions that
: there'd be no reason for the Covenant to copy an AI over and over because
: each would inherit the shortened lifespan, and the Justice AI itself
: seemingly confirms it's been copied because when being killed it yells:
: "I go to finally to my heaven reward paradise
: final-final-final-infinity-infinity-infini-AT NONCOPYSTATE. (p.209)"
: So who knows. But there were a lot more seemingly direct clues than I
: expected to find.

Wow, yeah, that's pretty convincing.