Nontheistic humanist gets religious exemption from using AI at work

David Durman, a University of Kentucky administrator and nontheistic humanist, secured a religious exemption allowing him not to use artificial intelligence at work, TechCrunch reported. With support from the American Humanist Association (AHA), he argued that reliance on AI could harm people’s ability to think and act morally, threaten human creativity and create environmental costs. The AHA says Durman is the first humanist to publicly secure such an accommodation; he was inspired by the case of Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist software engineer who obtained similar protections.

University spokesperson Jay Blanton told TechCrunch that requests for religious accommodations are reviewed individually, taking job duties and the circumstances of the request into account. In this case, the university determined that the accommodation could be provided without preventing Durman from performing his essential duties, since his administrative role did not require AI use. The university may review the accommodation as technology and job responsibilities change.