Wired Word Lesson of the Week
Topic for Sunday, August 2, 2026:
Businesses Anticipate Conscientious Objection to AI: We will look at a story about businesses preparing for employees to object to the use of artificial intelligence (AI), based on deeply held moral and religious beliefs. We will reflect on what the Bible says about conscientious objection and the dignity of work and workers.
In the News
Individuals are encouraged to read the news below related to this topic before the August 2nd bible study to be prepared for an engaging conversation:
Over the centuries, Christians have made conscientious objections when asked to perform certain actions. They have refused to bear arms or participate in particular medical procedures, based on deeply held moral or religious beliefs. Such stances often prioritize the teachings of Jesus over state requirements or professional obligations.
Now, some individuals are objecting to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the workplace, based on the potential for AI to harm the environment or undermine human dignity. According to Baptist News Global, human resource (HR) professionals in a number of businesses are preparing for the possibility that employees will ask for religious accommodations to avoid using AI tools in their jobs. These employees do not want their work to hurt humans or nature (the environmental impact of AI comes mainly through its massive resource demands).
Erin Maus was recently granted a religious exemption based on her opposition to the use of AI in her software-engineering job. Business Insider reports that Maus, a Unitarian Universalist, requested special treatment in April, citing environmental and ethical objections to AI based on her religious beliefs. After consulting with a minister and an employment lawyer, she made her case and was granted accommodation in mid-May.
Pope Leo XIV's recent letter Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity) is concerned with safeguarding the human person in the age of AI. (See The Wired Word for the week of June 7, 2026, "Pope Leo Issues Encyclical in Support of Humanity.") According to the pope, the church has always been committed to protecting the dignity of work and workers, and he recognizes that "persons have a fundamental value that takes precedence over capital and profit."
In response, the HR field is anticipating an influx of religious objections to workplace AI use. For Ema Sol, a manager who bridges the gap between company leadership and the workforce, this possibility has sparked the question: "What is the role of human resources as workplaces navigate the increasing cultural, ethical and religious impacts of AI?"
According to a 2026 study from the HR software company Cornerstone, nearly a third of workers harbor negative feelings -- including anxiety, uncertainty and resistance -- toward AI. To gain a religious exemption, however, a person must base their request on their faith instead of their feelings. One "possible outcome of the AI mandate era is about to be HR departments discovering that 'sincerely held religious belief' under Title VII has a much lower bar than they assumed, and Pope Leo handed every Catholic employee a written excuse," wrote Corey Quinn, a software-startup founder in San Francisco, on X.
Sol believes that HR leaders and other managers must understand the resistance of their employees to AI, in order to ensure that its adoption does not jeopardize the rights and needs of workers. The pope's letter challenges businesses to affirm the intrinsic value of humans in the workplace, and to understand that AI expansion is driven by a technocratic mindset which prioritizes efficiency and profit.
In response, says Sol, HR leaders "have the power, responsibility and experience to balance that mindset with more human-centered mandates." Such a balance can be expressed in employee handbook policies, codes of ethics, and standard operating procedures. She says that as leaders steer organizational policies and procedures, they are laying the foundation for a workplace culture which protects the company's interests while also ensuring fair treatment of employees. "In the age of AI," she concludes, a thriving workplace culture is based on organizations pairing "their effectiveness goals with the well-being and satisfaction of every worker, whether blue collar or white collar."
Unless companies listen to employees who have faith-based objections to AI, they may find themselves in court. Ashley Herd, an attorney who advises managers and employers on workplace issues, says that "telling employees their request isn't legitimate, does not tend to bode well for companies. A jury doesn't like it when employees get made fun of by managers or HR."
Software engineer Maus, who was granted a religious exemption in May, is not convinced that AI is needed for her to perform at a high level. She recently completed a coding task and said that she did it at the same speed as a colleague who used AI on a nearly identical assignment. "AI doesn't really seem to be this game changer," she said, reflecting on her experience and beliefs. "Your principles matter."
More on this story can be found at these links: