'AI refuser' quit her dream job, and hopes others follow

Gabrielle Boyle resigned from the AFL three days before Microsoft Copilot’s rollout after the league barred her from opting out of AI access to her work. She opposed large-language-model tools over data-center energy consumption, cognitive impacts, and existential risks, noting the AFL lacked a privacy-protective AI policy until a draft emerged following her report of a trainee misusing children’s data. Her exit illustrates Australian employers’ ability to mandate AI use despite limited employee awareness and absent legislation.