Can an employee object to AI use in the workplace on religious grounds?
Recently in North Carolina, a software engineer who is a Unitarian Universalist, successfully obtained a religious-based workplace accommodation after stating that environmental and ethical objections to AI did not align with her religious beliefs. Should employers nationwide expect more requests for accommodation along these lines?
There is reason to believe the answer is yes.
In the June 2023 Supreme Court decision in Groff v. DeJoy, the Court held that Title VII requires an employer that denies a religious accommodation to show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in “substantial increased costs.”
In late May 2026, Pope Leo XIV issued a publication addressing, among other things, the use of artificial intelligence. The Pope called for transparency, accountability and oversight in AI development and stressed that AI-driven automation should not undermine employees’ livelihoods. The Pope emphasized that technology must serve the human person, not redefine or diminish human value and warned about improper development and use of AI.
In its June 4, 2026 National Enforcement Plan, the EEOC Chair emphasized the agency’s priority of “protecting workers’ religious liberty rights to receive religious accommodations and be free from religious discrimination, harassment and related retaliation.”
Looking at these developments collectively, employers should be prepared to respond to potential employee objections to use of AI on religious grounds and contemplate potential accommodations that would not pose an undue burden to the employer based on the Groff standard of having to show substantial increased costs.
More to surely come. Stay tuned.