A Kentucky man becomes the first humanist granted religious exemption from AI

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Bob Smietana reports that the University of Kentucky granted humanist David Durman a Title VII religious exemption from using AI at work. Durman, a research administrator, said offloading his thinking to tools like Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT would undercut his ability to act morally. The American Humanist Association, which helped him, calls it the first such exemption for a humanist. He may still have to join AI-assisted meetings and submit work through AI-enabled sites.

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• Humanism counts as religion under Title VII. RNS notes federal courts have ruled that humanism qualifies as a religion. AHA staff attorney Alexandria Huiskens says humanists therefore have the same rights as other faith groups.
• The objection is about moral formation. Durman told RNS that thinking through his work, ethics and dealings with people is how he develops as a moral person, and his letter cited the Humanist Manifesto's commitments to dignity and freedom of conscience.
• The exemption is narrow. In a Sept. 25 letter, the university's Office of Equal Opportunity excused him from personal use of AI, but he may still attend AI-assisted meetings and submit materials through AI-enabled sites.
• Approval hinged on sincerity and burden. Huiskens said the university found no undue burden on his department. Law professor Douglas Laycock said such requests turn on whether a belief is sincere, which employers may investigate.
• It follows a wider wave of AI skepticism. The request was inspired partly by Unitarian Universalist engineer Erin Maus's exemption. RNS also cites a Washington Post-ABC News poll and Pope Leo XIV's encyclical warning about AI.

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