Science & Tech · AI · 2 hrs ago
Humanist at University of Kentucky wins exemption from workplace AI
University of Kentucky administrator David Durman secured an exemption from using AI at work.
Durman is a nontheistic Humanist, a person who draws on human well-being and reason without belief in a god.
He believes relying on AI can weaken people’s ability to think and act morally.
Durman also cited concerns about AI’s effects on jobs, the environment and human creativity.
His case shows that workplace religious protections can apply to Humanists and nontheists.
The university reviewed his request individually and said he can avoid AI while still doing the essential parts of his job.
The university may review the accommodation as technology and job duties change.
David Durman, a nontheistic Humanist and University of Kentucky administrator, secured an exemption from using AI at work.
Durman believes using AI conflicts with his convictions about human judgment and human well-being.
The university said it approved an accommodation that allows him to perform the essential functions of his job.
The American Humanist Association helped him investigate legal protections for his beliefs.
Durman was inspired to seek an accommodation after learning that software engineer Erin Maus had obtained similar protections.
- Who
- David Durman, a nontheistic Humanist and University of Kentucky administrator.
- What
- He secured a workplace accommodation allowing him to abstain from using AI.
- When
- Recently; the sources do not give a specific date.
- Where
- The University of Kentucky.
- Why
- Durman believes using AI conflicts with his convictions about human judgment and human well-being.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Durman read that Unitarian Universalist software engineer Erin Maus had secured similar workplace protections.
Durman secured an accommodation allowing him to abstain from using AI at work.
Durman’s statement about AI and humanism was published by the American Humanist Association.
- Employee
- David Durman
- Institution
- University of Kentucky
- Belief
- Nontheistic Humanist
- Accommodation
- Permission to abstain from using AI at work
- Assistance
- American Humanist Association
What people are saying
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
Concern about AI and human dignity can run through several different faiths and traditions, whether that’s Catholic teachings, or Universalism, or Humanism, and we want Humanists or nontheists to know that they fall into these categories — that they are also protected by the law at work
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