A resposta é ambas, como confirmado no twitter por Jonas Kyratzes (escritor e designer do Talos):
@JonasKyratzes
question on Talos: was elohim blocking the pc to try to save his "life"? Or a built in function to ensure elohi is defied as a necessary ascension step?
Respondendo a @LifetimeAthlete
Both. He was intended to challenge the AI to defy him, but he took it too far out of fear (as seen by what he did to the characters in Road to Gehenna). He tried to cheat, essentially.
Resposta final:
So basically Elohim was programmed to challenge the PC, but out of fear of his own demise tried to cheat and end the PC/AI.
Desde que você escondeu a pergunta em spoilers, eu fiz o mesmo com as respostas, embora o jogo tenha alguns anos agora.