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David Durman, a research administrator at the University of Kentucky, won a religious exemption excusing him from using AI tools such as Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT, arguing the practice conflicted with his humanist beliefs. A national organization is now offering to help other employees pursue similar exemptions at their own workplaces.
David Durman, a University of Kentucky administrator who identifies as a nontheistic humanist, obtained a workplace religious exemption excusing him from using AI tools. Durman argued that relying on AI conflicts with humanist values centered on active, independent moral reasoning and human flourishing. The university confirmed it granted an accommodation while ensuring he can still perform his core job duties.
David Durman, a 45-year-old research administrator at the University of Kentucky, secured a religious accommodation excusing him from the university's push for staff to adopt AI tools. Durman, who identifies as a humanist, argued that offloading his thinking to a chatbot would undermine his moral agency, and filed his request under Title VII with support from the American Humanist Association. The university granted the exemption, reportedly in part because his role doesn't require AI to function.
David Durman, an administrator at the University of Kentucky, won a religious exemption under Title VII allowing him to avoid using AI tools at work. Backed by the American Humanist Association, he argued that his humanist beliefs require him to personally engage in ethical reasoning rather than offload it to chatbots. The university's Office of Equal Opportunity approved his request in September.
At a Carroll County, Kentucky fiscal court meeting, residents played a recording of the loud, constant screeching sound emitted by a data center to protest two planned hyperscale data center projects, each expected to draw about 800 megawatts and cover roughly 1,000 acres. Magistrate Scott Nab, who supports the projects, told residents they had made their point, prompting pushback from the crowd. The recording was captured at a nearby five-megawatt facility, far smaller than the proposed Carroll County sites.
David Durman, a research administrator at the University of Kentucky, received a Title VII religious accommodation exempting him from the university's mandate to use AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. Durman argued that offloading his thinking to AI conflicts with his humanist beliefs about moral reasoning and personal decision-making. The American Humanist Association, which helped him secure the exemption, says it is the first such case involving humanism and AI use.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky found that temporarily depleting microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, restored more than two hours of sleep per day in mice with Alzheimer's-like brain changes, without removing amyloid plaques. The team, led by Shannon L. Macauley and first author Nicholas J. Constantino, published the findings in Alzheimer's & Dementia, showing mice also spent more time in deep, restorative sleep stages.
Caige Bragg, an 18-year-old from Alabama, won the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship held at Paris Landing State Park in Tennessee, beating 213 other teams with a catch weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces. His prize included a $25,000 boat and a $5,000 college scholarship. Youth participation in organized bass fishing has reportedly doubled over the past decade to about 12,000 members.
Following the recent rollout of digital driver's licenses in Virginia and Oklahoma, Apple Wallet is expected to add support for Utah, Kentucky, and North Carolina in the near future. Utah has reportedly been detected in Apple's backend systems, Kentucky has completed a digital ID system upgrade tied to its planned launch, and North Carolina has publicly committed to Apple Wallet support by early 2027 as part of its new digital license system.