You don’t need to believe in a god to get a religious exemption from using AI at work

Key points

• David Durman, a nontheistic Humanist and University of Kentucky administrator, secured a religious exemption from using AI at work.
• He is the first Humanist to obtain such workplace accommodations and was inspired by Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist software engineer who secured similar protections.
• The University of Kentucky said it reviews religious accommodation requests individually and determined Durman's exemption still allows him to perform his essential job functions.

David Durman, a nontheistic Humanist and administrator at the University of Kentucky, has secured a religious exemption from using AI in the workplace, TechCrunch reported. He is the first Humanist known to obtain such accommodations and one of the first people to publicly discuss seeking these protections.

Durman told TechCrunch that Humanism centers on human well-being and flourishing, and he believes using AI runs counter to those beliefs. He approached the American Humanist Association to investigate legal protections against being required to use the technology at work.

Why he sought the exemption

Durman said relying on AI could weaken the active use of the mind through which people become moral actors. In a statement published by the AHA earlier this week, he said AI interferes with people's ability to earn a living and threatens human creativity in art and literature.

He was inspired to seek the protections after reading that Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist and software engineer, secured similar accommodations. In his administrative role supporting researchers applying for grants, Durman has not been required to use AI, but colleagues and leadership have recommended the tools, so he sought the exemption in case the suggestion becomes a mandate.

AI is interfering with people’s ability to earn a living, the environmental costs spell disaster for humanity and our planet

— David Durman

What the university said

University of Kentucky spokesperson Jay Blanton told TechCrunch that the institution reviews religious accommodation requests individually, weighing the employee's job responsibilities and the circumstances. He said the university determined an accommodation could be provided while Durman continues performing the essential functions of his position.

Alexandria Huiskens, Staff Attorney at the AHA, told TechCrunch that concern about AI and human dignity runs through several faiths and traditions, and that nontheists should know they are also protected by the law at work.