David Durman, a nontheistic Humanist and University of Kentucky administrator, secured a religious exemption from using AI at work, according to TechCrunch. Durman said he sought the protection through the American Humanist Association, a nonprofit that advances secular humanism. He said using AI runs counter to his beliefs.
Durman told TechCrunch that "the way we become moral actors for ourselves and for others is through the active application of our minds," and that diminishing that through AI use "is going to necessarily have a negative impact on our ability to do so." In an AHA statement, he wrote that AI "is interfering with people's ability to earn a living," that its environmental costs "spell disaster for humanity and our planet," and that it threatens human creativity in art and literature.
Alexandria Huiskens, a staff attorney at the AHA, told TechCrunch that concern about AI and human dignity can arise in several faiths and traditions, and that Humanists and nontheists are also protected by law at work.
Durman is described as the first Humanist to secure workplace accommodations allowing him to abstain from AI use. He said he was inspired by Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist and software engineer who secured similar protections.
University of Kentucky spokesperson Jay Blanton said the university reviews religious accommodation requests individually. In this case, Blanton said, the university determined that an accommodation could be provided while the employee continued performing the essential functions of the position. Blanton added that accommodations may be reviewed as technology and job responsibilities evolve.
Durman said his role supports researchers applying for grants and that he has not been required to use AI. He sought the exemption now in case recommendations from colleagues and leadership to try AI tools become a mandate.