If he chose humans, everything he said earlier will be useless and he will lose the debate.
And if he chose the machines, Azzy will not be able to look into the eyes of his friends.
If it was a different situation, it would have been okay to answer. But he was given a situation where he was going to look for treasure. Not choosing his friends means he is thinking that they might betray him for the treasure.
Azzy was trapped in the dilemma which is a bit similar to choosing one between mom and wife.
No matter what he answers, Azzy knew Ark will be the winner. So, he was looking for a solution beyond those two options. At the same time, Azzy doesn't want to lie either.
And the Reaper came to the rescue just as he always does.
"It's pretty simple, Azrael. Since when have you been a team player?"
