Kentucky administrator receives accommodation from AI use

The University of Kentucky’s Office of Equal Opportunity approved Durman’s request on September 25 after finding that it would not create an undue burden for his department.[1] The accommodation allows him to perform his job without personally using AI, and he continues to carry out all his duties without it.[1] The approval is specific to Durman’s request; the university reviews religious-accommodation requests individually.[2]

Durman sought an exemption from personally using AI and large language models, including transcription, note-taking and decision-making tools.[3] His request named Microsoft Teams Copilot for meeting notes, commercial products including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, and internal LLM development.[3] His job as a research administrator includes reviewing sponsor guidelines and grant materials, checking compliance, and preparing and submitting grant applications.[1][3] Durman said AI was not an essential function of his position and that he performed his duties using manual processes.[3]

Durman said his humanist beliefs require him to protect human dignity, moral agency and personal responsibility, and that using AI would conflict with those beliefs and his responsibility for his actions.[3][1] He also said people’s ability to think and reason independently is worth protecting.[1] He cited concerns that AI can interfere with people’s ability to earn a living, impose environmental costs, and threaten culture by supplanting or taking human creativity.[1] The American Humanist Association supported him and helped with the request.[1]

Durman sought the accommodation because, he said, AI deployment in his division was actively expanding.[3] To avoid creating an operational burden, he offered to take and share meeting notes manually.[3] The university says it considers whether beliefs are sincerely held, the essential responsibilities of the job and the circumstances of each request.[2] Accommodations may be reviewed as technology and job responsibilities evolve to ensure they remain reasonable and workable.[4] Durman said he hoped his experience would encourage people with similar concerns to pursue them appropriately.[4]