Humanist secures religious exemption from using AI at the University of Kentucky
You don’t need to believe in a god to get a religious exemption from using AI at work
- Who
- University of Kentucky
- What
- granted a religious accommodation David Durman’s request to abstain from using AI at work
- Quote
As technology and job responsibilities evolve, accommodations may be reviewed to ensure they remain reasonable and workable.
What happened
David Durman, a nontheistic Humanist and University of Kentucky administrator, secured a religious accommodation allowing him to abstain from AI use at work. He says AI conflicts with his beliefs about human flourishing and moral agency. The university said he could continue performing his essential duties with the accommodation, which he sought before any AI requirement existed in his role.
Read next
See the full storyUniversity of Kentucky Grants Humanist Administrator Religious Accommodation to Abstain From Workplace AIThe story so far
The University of Kentucky granted administrator David Durman a religious accommodation allowing him to abstain from AI use at work, saying he could continue performing his essential duties under the arrangement. Durman, a nontheistic Humanist, said using AI conflicts with his beliefs about human flourishing and moral agency. He sought the accommodation before his role carried any AI requirement. The university said accommodations may be reviewed as technology and job responsibilities evolve to ensure they remain reasonable and workable.
Keep up with AI, one email a day
Model releases, price changes and compute developments, with original sources. Free, confirmed by email, and easy to unsubscribe. Read a past issue · 2026-10-30