A Humanist Won the Right to Refuse AI at Work, Arguing That Handing Over His Thinking Breaks His Beliefs

David Durman does not believe in a god, and he just got a religious exemption from using AI at work. The University of Kentucky research administrator, a nontheistic humanist, argued that handing his thinking to a chatbot would undercut his beliefs. His employer agreed to accommodate him.

The American Humanist Association, which helped him, says it is the first case of its kind for the group and for humanism generally. That gives anyone with a conscience-based objection to workplace AI something new to point to, whether or not they pray.

Getting ahead of a mandate

Durman helps researchers apply for grants. Nobody has required him to use AI. But colleagues and leadership have recommended that staff try the tools, and the university asked employees to use AI, mentioning products like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. He asked for the exemption now in case the suggestion turns into a mandate.

That worry is not far-fetched, given how hard employers are leaning in. American Express is cutting about 5 percent of its workforce in part to prepare for AI.

His objection is about what thinking does to a person. "The process and work involved in thinking through situations, through my work, through my ethics, through the way I handle other people, is a key component in being able to develop myself as a moral person," he told Religion News Service. Offloading that labor, he said, "regardless of whether it's taxing or not, is undercutting my ability to be a moral actor."

He made the same case to TechCrunch: "The way we become moral actors for ourselves and for others is through the active application of our minds, and the diminishing of that [through AI use] is going to necessarily have a negative impact on our ability to do so."

In a statement from the association, he went broader, writing that "AI is interfering with people's ability to earn a living, the environmental costs spell disaster for humanity and our planet, and its supplanting and theft of human creativity threaten elements of our culture like art and literature that make society flourish."

How a humanist gets a religious exemption

The legal hook is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employment discrimination based on religion, among other things. Federal courts have ruled that humanism qualifies as a religion. An accommodation can rest on a deep moral conviction, and it must not impose "undue hardship" on the employer.

No court was involved here. The university made the call itself after reviewing the request, as it says it does for each one. Spokesperson Jay Blanton said "the university determined that an accommodation could be provided while allowing the employee to continue performing the essential functions of their position."

The exemption has limits. Durman is still expected to attend meetings and cooperate with colleagues who use AI, and to submit materials to AI tools as needed. It may not last forever either. "As technology and job responsibilities evolve, accommodations may be reviewed to ensure they remain reasonable and workable," Blanton said.

A wider objection

Durman was inspired by Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist software engineer who secured similar protections. And the unease extends well beyond secular circles: Pope Leo XIV has decried AI as a threat to human dignity.

Alexandria Huiskens, a staff attorney at the association, told TechCrunch that concern about AI and human dignity "can run through several different faiths and traditions, whether that's Catholic teachings, or Universalism, or Humanism." She told RNS that "everyone should have room to exercise this comprehensive way of life at work the same way Christians do, or Muslims do."

Durman says he is not recruiting. "I'm obviously not trying to tell people how to think or feel," he said, though he hopes others with similar concerns pursue them.

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