University of Kentucky excuses humanist employee from using AI at work
David Durman is excused from personal AI use but must still attend meetings and use AI-enabled submission platforms.
By BenchdictPublished Oct 28, 20263 min read
The University of Kentucky approved David Durman’s exemption from personal AI use on September 25. Durman, a humanist described by Friendly Atheist as an atheist, sought accommodation under Title VII, US workplace law requiring employers to accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs.
For employees asked to adopt AI and HR teams handling belief-based requests, this is an individual accommodation with defined limits. The advocacy group’s “first” label grants no broader entitlement. Whether essential duties require the technology would change how far this example can carry.
Key facts
- Employee
- David Durman, University of Kentucky research administrator
- Approval date
- September 25, 2026
- Accommodation
- Excused from personal AI use to complete work
- Duties retained
- All job duties (per AHA)
Where the exemption stops
Religion News Service reports that Durman’s accommodation covers his own use of AI to perform his work. It does not excuse him from attending meetings or submitting materials through platforms that use the technology.
The university’s decision and full agreement were not available to Benchdict and were not read directly; this account rests on the American Humanist Association’s release and press reports.
The American Humanist Association, the advocacy organization that assisted his request, says the university found no undue burden on his department. Durman, a research administrator, continues to perform all his job duties without AI, according to the association.
FindLaw explains that Title VII requires reasonable accommodation of sincerely held religious beliefs unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. Durman sought protection for his humanist beliefs under that framework. The outlet reports that the matter ended without a court filing; the university made the accommodation decision itself.
Whether he faced a mandatory-use policy before approval is unclear. Religion News Service describes employees being asked to use AI. Friendly Atheist, an atheist-focused news blog, describes concern about a possible future expectation.
The request
Association staff attorney Alexandria Huiskens helped draft the request, according to Religion News Service. Durman described AI use as conflicting with his humanist obligation to take personal responsibility for the morality of his actions.
The association dates his submission to the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity to late August, followed by a meeting in mid-September and approval on September 25.
An earlier exemption
Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist software engineer, received an AI exemption from her employer and partly inspired Durman’s request, according to Religion News Service. FindLaw dates her exemption to May.
Association officials describe Durman’s case as the first AI exemption granted to a humanist, a claim reported by Religion News Service and FindLaw that has not been independently verified.
The open question is whether an employer could accommodate a comparable request when the employee’s duties cannot be completed without AI.
Sources
- Kentucky man becomes the first humanist granted religious exemption from AIIndependentHacker News (front page), Oct 28, 2026.What we took from it: Accommodation boundaries, stated beliefs, drafting assistance, Maus’s earlier exemption and faith, and attribution of the first-humanist claim.
- Humanist Secures Workplace Accommodations from Personal AI Use on the Basis of His Beliefs - American Humanist AssociationIndependentAmerican Humanist Association, Oct 26, 2026.What we took from it: The announcing association’s account of Durman’s employment, request timeline, departmental burden determination and continued performance of all duties.
- A Win for the Human(ist)s: Employee Gets Title VII AI Accommodation - FindLawIndependentFindLaw Blogs, Oct 27, 2026.What we took from it: Title VII accommodation framework, attributed absence of a court filing, May timing of Maus’s exemption and attribution of the first-humanist claim.
- Atheist wins “religious exemption” to get out of using AI at workIndependentfriendlyatheist.com, Oct 27, 2026.What we took from it: Description of Durman as an atheist and the account that he sought protection against a possible future AI-use expectation.
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