University of Kentucky employee wins exemption from workplace AI use on religious grounds - Big Tech and the digital economy

David Durman, a self-described humanist and administrative employee at the University of Kentucky, has secured permission not to use AI in his work. He argued that delegating his thinking to a chatbot conflicted with his moral and religious convictions.

The use of artificial intelligence in the workplace continues to raise concerns about cybersecurity, job losses and the effect of automated tools on human thinking. David Durman, an administrative employee at the University of Kentucky, has taken that debate to his own workplace after receiving a religious accommodation that exempts him from using AI tools in his job.

Durman describes himself as a humanist. When the university asked employees to incorporate AI into their workflows, he became concerned that he was being asked to transfer part of his reasoning to a chatbot. He viewed the process of carefully considering situations through the lens of his work, ethics and relationships with others as essential to his development as a moral person.

With assistance from the American Humanist Association, Durman applied for an accommodation under a federal law that allows employees to request changes to their work requirements to respect their religious beliefs. The university agreed to the request in September, meaning he no longer has to use AI for his work. Representatives of the association believe he may be the first humanist to obtain such an exemption related to AI use.

Durman is not alone in questioning whether AI should take over tasks that require independent thought. The recently founded Association for Human Mathematics has argued that mathematics should remain a human-led discipline, maintaining that progress depends on expertise developed through careful reasoning. The group has also warned that the automated creation and consumption of mathematical work could weaken the field’s intellectual foundations.

Research has likewise examined the possible effects of excessive reliance on AI. A study by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University surveyed 319 people whose jobs involved analyzing data or information. The researchers observed that participants who had greater confidence in AI tended to leave more of the work to the technology, potentially encouraging dependence without sufficient review.

Durman’s concerns extend beyond his own job. He believes AI could negatively affect society by undermining human development. Pope Leo XIV has expressed a related concern, warning in an encyclical earlier this year that AI could weaken democracy and human dignity. He also said that misuse of AI might give a small elite additional power while leaving the rest of humanity behind.

Sources: t3n.