As workplaces grapple with the implications and possibilities of artificial intelligence, one Kentucky professional has staked a hard position: a religious exemption from using it in his work.
David Durman, a research administrator at the University of Kentucky, requested and received a religious exemption from using AI in September.
The basis of his request is his practice as a humanist, “a progressive, non-theistic belief system that says we can all live good, meaningful lives if we focus on making things better in the here and now,” according to the American Humanist Association.
The university granted the exemption, which is among the first of its kind in the U.S. as AI use proliferates higher education and other industries.
Durman says the move was preemptive on his part.
“For me, I have significant ethical concerns, moral concerns with the use of AI technology in a number of different ways as it relates to the values that I take from humanism,” he said during a sit-down interview with WEKU this week. “And in pursuing the religious exemption, I am working to establish boundaries ahead of time with my work environment, and to be able to have a position to work from to say that, ahead of time, this is what is acceptable in regards to me at this time regarding this technology, and these are the things that I am willing to participate in or not willing to participate in based on my convictions and my sincerely held beliefs.”
According to a Pew Research Center report, more U.S. adults think AI will worsen creativity than improve it, and they also believe it will make it harder to form relationships. The same report shows concern over AI is increasing as excitement falls.
A different study found people are more optimistic about AI in things like medical care than education, and an increasing number of workers are using AI in their jobs.
Durman said he’s been a humanist for about 30 years, coming to the belief after studying and reading a lot of philosophy in his teens and 20s.
“A lot of the conclusions I drew, the philosophers I was attracted to, conform a lot to humanism,” Durman noted.
He said he was drawn to “the promotion of the best good for most people” and the promotion of a flourishing life for oneself and others.
As a research administrator in UK's Office of Special Projects Administration, Durman works on grants and funding requests before they’re awarded. He’s applying to federal, state or nonprofit sources to fund research and make sure the university is compliant on applications.
Durman said he’d been thinking about AI and the workplace for a while before seeking the exemption. He has concerns and reservations about the technology.
“As a component of how I view humanism, and the focus on human well-being and flourishing, is that in order to be able to assess and implement the best way that I can well-being for myself and others is to be in command of my own faculties, my own decision-making processes, my own way of reaching moral conclusions on how I act for my life and how I treat others and how I help others,” Durman said.
He already uses technology that has integrated AI functions, he said, like the Microsoft Suite and Adobe. Durman said he’s turned off what features he can and tries to avoid and ignore what he couldn’t remove.
It was news a Unitarian Universalist software engineer received an exemption that prompted Durman to seek his own. He said he was pleased with the experience, and has found UK a “forward-thinking and progressive institution” over the years.
A spokesperson did not comment on the specific decision-making behind Durman’s accommodation, saying only that such religious exemptions are considered on a case-by-case basis.
"The University of Kentucky reviews requests for religious accommodations on an individual basis, considering an employee’s sincerely held beliefs, essential job responsibilities and the circumstances of the request,” the spokesperson wrote. “In this case, the university determined that an accommodation could be provided while allowing the employee to continue performing the essential functions of their position. As technology and job responsibilities evolve, accommodations may be reviewed to ensure they remain reasonable and workable.”
While the university is widely adopting AI use in a number of settings, Durman said he wasn’t being asked or mandated to integrate it into his work.
“Me seeking out the religious exemption was more of me trying to preemptively stake out my position, so that if it does eventually become a mandatory requirement, then I've gone ahead and done that, and I don't appear disingenuous after the fact,” Durman said.
He said his friends and family have also been supportive.
Durman encourages people to be cognisant of AI and its many applications. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if others sought their own exemptions, especially in light of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI, or if other organizations looked for ways to set standards and industry practices around the technology.
“I hope (this) encourages people to look into similar exemptions if they feel it's appropriate, but not even necessarily going that far,” Durman said. “If it's just that they need to have a conversation with their employer about it, or engage critically with policies that are being put in place, or attempt to work with HR to rework policies that are existing, or any of that sort of thing, I hope it encourages people.”
