AI firms shred millions of books for training data, sparking preservation calls
ByPulseAugur Editorial·[99 sources]·
AI companies are reportedly engaging in the large-scale acquisition and destruction of physical books, particularly those published before 2022, to use as training data for their models. Services like ISBNdb facilitate these bulk purchases, often anonymizing the buyers. This practice, which involves cutting off book spines and scanning pages before discarding the originals, has been deemed legal under fair use by a federal judge. While companies like Anthropic state they acquire books through commercial markets and do not target rare or antiquarian volumes, critics argue this irreversible process permanently removes valuable knowledge from the public domain, prompting calls from organizations like Anna's Archive for volunteers to scan and preserve books before they are lost.
AI
IMPACT
This practice risks permanently monopolizing knowledge and diminishing the public domain, potentially accelerating the need for digital preservation efforts.
RANK_REASON
The cluster details a widespread, irreversible practice by major AI companies with significant implications for cultural heritage and copyright law, involving multiple sources and a legal ruling.
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Significant
The cluster details a widespread, irreversible practice by major AI companies with significant implications for cultural heritage and copyright law, involving multiple sources and a legal ruling.
Source corroboration
99 independent sources
Strong cross-source corroboration — multiple independent publishers covered this within the clustering window.
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product, policy, other
Editorial topic classification. Feeds into how the story surfaces on /topic/<slug> hub pages and into the per-entity coverage mix.
AI-industry relevance
High
Clearly on-topic for AI-industry coverage.
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51 days old
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+26 source(s) since last score
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Why tech companies are buying up tons of rare old books to train their AI models https://www.npr.org/2026/08/19/nx-s1-5936438/why-tech-companies-are-buying-up-tons-of-rare-old-books-to-train-their-ai-models # AI # Books # Tech
Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI? The court documents relating to the Anthropic case revealed the project of ingesting old books was referred to… # NewsBeep # News # Artificialintelligence # AI # ArtificialIntelligence # Technology # UK # UnitedKingdom https…
📰 Here’s a balm if the idea of destroying books to train AI breaks your heart AI firms quietly bulk buying rare books face resistance from booksellers. 📰 Source: Ars Technica 🔗 Link: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/heres-a-balm-if-the-idea-of-destroying-books-to-train…
Here's a balm if the idea of destroying books to train AI breaks your heart https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/heres-a-balm-if-the-idea-of-destroying-books-to-train-ai-breaks-your-heart/ # AI # Tech # Culture
For book lovers, another sin to lay at the feet of AI & its associated technologies; the physical destruction of books. To avoid the feedback of machine learning from online resources composed *by* AI/LLMs etc. Big Tech is digitising pre-2022 written resources. It does this by bu…
„Project 🇵🇦#Panama”: Cum a distrus Anthropic milioane de cărți pentru a-și antrena 🧠#inteligențaArtificială. 🔗 https:// wp.me/p9KpFA-5s4q # Știri # Tehnologie # AI
Destroying books just so the contents can be used to train # AI really does not sit well with me: https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202 6/aug/02/australian-book-sellers-alarm-destruction-rare-titles-ai-supply-chain # ArtificialIntelligence
‘More than just objects’: Australian book sellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed AI https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202 6/aug/02/australian-book-sellers-alarm-destruction-rare-titles-ai-supply-chain?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other # ai # books
<p>Secondhand booksellers believe they may have been caught up in the AI supply chain that sees old books scanned then destroyed</p><p>“Sometimes books tell you more than the content,” says Tim White, as he lines up carefully dust-jacketed books and pamphlets in plastic sleeves o…
AI companies destroy rare and non recoverable physical books https://www. heraldscotland.com/opinion/264 22014.library-alexandria-burns-ai-companies-destroying-books-bulk/ # ai
AI companies are apparently buying and destroying millions of printed books for model training. They remove binding, scan pages and then dispose them off. Some of these books are known to be rare or of historical significance. My question is, if they are to do this anyway, then w…
So, apparently AI companies are now buying up books and destroying them after feeding the content into the machines. Straight up distopian. 😡😡🤬 1. Libraries and archives have to be protected at all costs, now more than ever. 2. Buying up out of print books related to your special…
HN — AI startup stories
TIER_1English(EN)·anon373839·
Every use of Amazon, YouTube, or Instagram enables this. Link : https:// futurism.com/artificial-intell igence/ai-companies-destroying-rare-books # AI # books # amazon # youtube # instagram # bibliocide
AI companies are scanning books for AI training material, then disposing of the actual books. It's a terrible practice! https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/08/21/ai-companies-are-burning-books-advocates-complain-to-ftc/5291299 #ai #books #technology
AI companies are buying up rare books, digitizing them and destroying them in order to monopolize access to the information. https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/heres-a-balm-if-the-idea-of-destroying-books-to-train-ai-breaks-your-heart/ MAD joined # DemandProgress and o…
AI Companies are buying hardcover books and destroying them The biggest fear for people who want to see books preserved through the training process is that AI firms will callously pulp rare books that can never be replaced. The post AI Companies are buying hardcover books and de…
I just hope those books don't get destroyed¹⁾ afterwards... Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of # AI ? https://www. bbc.com/news/articles/cp3rprx2 wl4o __________ ¹⁾ See: https:// futurism.com/artificial-intell igence/ai-companies-destroying-rare-books
🖥️ 📚️ Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI? 🔗 https://www. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3rpr x2wl4o # Reading # UsedBooks # Book # Books # Bookstodon # Booksky # AI # Artificialintelligence # Technology # Tech
Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI? Booksellers are reporting mysterious bulk orders. It's thought the books are being used to train AI - and ending up pulped. https://www. bbc.com/news/articles/cp3rprx2 wl4o # TopNews # News # AI # US # Anthropic
# AI # knihy ‚Nedává to smysl.‘ Britští knihkupci nechápou nákupy tisíců náhodných knih, podezírají AI Britští a irští prodejci knih z druhé ruky hlásí neobvyklé hromadné objednávky náhodných titulů od anonymních kupujících. Spekulují, že knihy skupují firmy zabývající se umělou …
AI is polluting the information well from which it drinks and it knows it… https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202 6/aug/15/uk-ireland-booksellers-suspect-ai-companies-bulk-orders-data-acquisition # ai # aislop # aitraining # datapollution # modelcollapse # anthropic # claude…
AI slop - but from the best of sources https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202 6/aug/15/uk-ireland-booksellers-suspect-ai-companies-bulk-orders-data-acquisition # Bookstodon # AI # Slop # Theft # Plagiarism
Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3rprx2wl4o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss # Books # AI # Reading
Booksellers suspect AI firms are bulk-buying rare books and destroying them to scan for training data. The cheapest method involves feeding spines into chippers while scanning pages - faster than non-destructive options. Google patented a gentler technique in 2009 but it remains …
RE: https:// cloudisland.nz/@exlibrarykris/ 117069767284240615 Oh holy shit. TL/DR, AI companies are bulk ordering books to literally destroy them in the process of ‘training’ the AI. And it’s happening globally. # books # archives # libraries # AI # HorrorStories # FightAICompan…
AI companies destroy physical books — let’s scan rare books before it’s too late via @ kero https:// lobste.rs/s/g32zwm # ai https:// fr.annas-archive.gl/blog/physi cal-destruction.html
Someone Is Mysteriously Snapping Up Used Books Around the World Are AI companies to blame? https://www. theatlantic.com/technology/202 6/08/ai-companies-buying-used-books-for-data/688167/ https:// archive.is/SL26t # ai # books # culture # rarebooks # machinelearning # tech # tech…
Analogy that just came to me about AI companies destructively scanning old books: Because of their non-slop nature, pre-LLM texts are the "low background steel" of the current era. https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-back ground_steel # LLM # AI # AISlop
🖥️ 📚️ AI is flooding the online book market with poor translations – here’s how to spot them 🔗 https:// theconversation.com/ai-is-floo ding-the-online-book-market-with-poor-translations-heres-how-to-spot-them-288166 # AI # Artificialintelligence # Technology # Tech # Literature #…
Can we subvert the AI companies scanning and destroying paper books by printing millions of nonsense paper books and selling them to AI scanning companies? # AI
@ Fareon Hmmmm.......... Why would each # AI company need more than one copy of each book for 'destructive scanning'? Or is it some # AIslop corollary to Einstein's (alleged) dictum about Insanity: "Insanity is scanning the same book over and over again and expecting to learn som…
🤖 Why is Anthropic destroying books? | Kathryn James The AI company apparently found destructively scanning ‘all the books in the world’ easier than dealing with copyright in its quest for training dataShould we destroy all the books in the world?An ... 📰 Source: AI (artificial i…
Suspected use of # AI sees an upcoming novel withdrawn, not because of the publisher's ethics but because of copyright concerns: https:// futurism.com/artificial-intell igence/major-publisher-million-book-deal-author-accused-ai # ArtificialIntelligence
Suspected use of # AI sees an upcoming novel withdrawn, not because of the publisher's ethics but because of copyright concerns: https:// futurism.com/artificial-intell igence/major-publisher-million-book-deal-author-accused-ai # ArtificialIntelligence
It really bugs me that they seem to have destructively scanned the books. https:// realityfragments.com/2026/08/0 4/destruction-of-books/ # writing # anthropic # snopes # ai
Le aziende di intelligenza artificiale stanno acquistando (e distruggendo) tonnelate di libri di carta. Perché succede https://www. corriere.it/tecnologia/26_agos to_03/le-aziende-di-intelligenza-artificiale-stanno-acquistando-e-distruggendo-tonnelate-di-libri-di-carta-perche-suc…
Stop # AI # book # piracy https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202 6/aug/02/australian-book-sellers-alarm-destruction-rare-titles-ai-supply-chain?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
Suppliers Scramble As Rare Books Destroyed To Train AI This week, heavy readers and casual posters alike were aghast at emerging reports of rare books being mulched… # NewsBeep # News # Artificialintelligence # AI # ArtificialIntelligence # Books # CA # Canada # Technology https:…
‘More than just objects’: Australian booksellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed AI https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202 6/aug/02/australian-book-sellers-alarm-destruction-rare-titles-ai-supply-chain # AI # books # publishing
Suppliers Scramble As Rare Books Destroyed To Train AI This week, heavy readers and casual posters alike were aghast at emerging reports of rare books being mulched… # NewsBeep # News # US # USA # UnitedStates # UnitedStatesOfAmerica # Artificialintelligence # AI # ArtificialInte…
‘More than just objects’: Australian #booksellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed #AI https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/02/australian-book-sellers-alarm-destruction-rare-titles-ai-supply-chain Secondhand booksellers believe they may ha…
🎮 Book Database Shutters AI Service Following Outrage Over Destroyed Rare Texts ISBNdb says their controversial books-to-AI pipeline landing page was ‘a test of market interest’ after disgust of a program straight out of Fahrenheit 451 📰 Source: Kotaku 🔗 Link: https://kotaku.com/…
🤖 ‘More than just objects’: Australian book sellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed AI Secondhand booksellers believe they may have been caught up in the AI supply chain that sees old books scanned then destroyed“Sometimes books tell you more than t…
I fear the news that AI ghouls are buying and destroying old books to feed their stochastic parrots has fuelled my book buying compulsions... # AI # Books # TechBros
Remember that a lot of old books are full of complete bullshit that will not be corrected when ingested by AI, but taken as gospel. For example, when scientific racist Alfredo Niceforo claims that the southern Italian is a lesser race than the northern Italian, it's left unchalle…
It is one thing reading that # AI companies are buying old books in bulk and trashing them. It is something else seeing the pictures too. # books # Anthropic
The proof that AI companies urgently need more regulation: "AI companies are now destroying warehouses full of rare books. The damage caused by the AI regime has yet to be fully realized." → For those not understanding why they are doing this, it is so that they have a monopoly o…
AI companies are now destroying warehouses full of rare books https:// gardinerbryant.com/ai-companie s-are-now-destroying-warehouses-full-of-rare-books/?utm_campaign=widget&utm_source=mastodon "These companies get to make a copy of these public domain books and then pulp the rem…
# AI # artificialintelligence AI Firms Are Buying up Old Books, Then Scanning and Destroying Them. ‘We don’t want it known that we’re doing this.’ by Tom Midlane 29 July 2026 | Novara Media | https:// novaramedia.com/2026/07/29/ai- firms-are-buying-up-old-books-then-scanning-and-…
AI firms are buying up old books then scanning and destroying them 😡🤬 https://www. instagram.com/p/DbYWp3ymjx0/?i gsh=Y2dqcjA3b2M1aDdp # FuckAI # AIisTheft # AIsucks # AI # uspol # GreedyFuckers # books # library # piracy # literature # aithieves # oldbooks # greed # laststagecap…
AI companies are scanning and destroying rare books. Some might have been the last copy. And the Library of Congress can't save them. Read why on Plain Meaning: # ai # libraryofcongress # books # politics # anthropic # tech https://www. plainmeaning.com/Articles/Mone y/11_ai-comp…
@ ErikUden The AI biz is certainly destructive. But they're shredding *one copy* each of these books. The Library of Alexandria contained unique manuscripts. # ai # llm
so if AI companies haven't caused enough (known) damage yet: they are destroying rare old books in the MILLIONS after feeding them to the slop machine. "AI Companies Are Buying Antique Books, Ingesting Their Contents to Train Models, and Then Destroying Them at Incredible Scale" …
Giganci AI kupują i niszczą stare książki. Trwa wielkie skanowanie https:// geekweek.interia.pl/technologi a/sztuczna-inteligencja/news-giganci-ai-masowo-wykupuja-i-niszcza-stare-ksiazki-trwa-wiel,nId,23520344 > Giganci na rynku AI znaleźli nowe źródło danych: używane książki dru…
As a book lover this is horrendous. AI companies are buying up rare books and then destroying them after being used for training data. https://xcancel.com/HedgieMarkets/status/2081534588485296565 # ai # noai # books
AI companies are bulk-buying rare books, scanning them through high-speed machines that cut the spines off, and shredding the originals AI companies are bulk-buying rare books, scanning them through high-speed machines that cut the spines off, and shredding the originals. A servi…
AI companies are bulk-buying books, scanning them through high-speed machines that cut the spines off, and shredding the originals. A service called ISBNdb facilitates orders of up to a million books and keeps buyers anonymous. Pre-2022 books are premium because they're free of A…
Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI? by Philippa Wain 👇️ 👇️ 👇️ # AI # training # Book # 2ndHand # Used # Models # tech ------------------------------- ✍️ It makes sense, collecting old printed books (before a given year edition) seems a good strategy to be sure…
AI companies are buying used books by the thousands. Some may be destroyed for training https://www.fastcompany.com/91591196/ai-companies-buying-used-books-by-thousands # AI # Books # Ethics
# AI companies hovering up more # books ? https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202 6/aug/15/uk-ireland-booksellers-suspect-ai-companies-bulk-orders-data-acquisition # technology
Facebook officially rolls out its standalone Creator Studio app with AI tools for creators The new app launches with Facebook's AI creator assistant built into it, providing creators with personalized recommendations based on their content style, performance, audience engagement,…
Booksellers suspect AI firms are buying and then destroying rare books AI firms quietly bulk buying rare books face resistance from booksellers. https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/heres-a-balm-if-the-idea-of-destroying-books-to-train-ai-breaks-your-heart/ # Tech # Tech…
AI is plagiarising and destroying books. Yay. https://www. rnz.co.nz/life/books/wellingto n-second-hand-book-store-s-mysterious-orders # noai # ai # AI # StopAI
AI is flooding the online book market with poor translations – here’s how to spot them https:// theconversation.com/ai-is-floo ding-the-online-book-market-with-poor-translations-heres-how-to-spot-them-288166 # FuckAI # aitheft # aicrap # literature # ai # books # bookstodon # tra…
Destroying books just so the contents can be used to train # AI really does not sit well with me: https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202 6/aug/02/australian-book-sellers-alarm-destruction-rare-titles-ai-supply-chain # ArtificialIntelligence
AI Companies Are Buying Antique Books, Ingesting Their Contents to Train Models, and Then Destroying Them at Incredible Scale https:// futurism.com/artificial-intell igence/ai-companies-destroying-rare-books # ai # evil # books
Empresas de IA estão comprando grande quantidade de livros antigos para transformá-los em dados de treinamento porque esses livros não contêm conteúdo gerado por IA. (EN) https://www. 404media.co/ai-companies-are-b uying-tons-of-old-books-because-theyre-free-of-ai-slop/ # ai
<table> <tr><td> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Anthropic/comments/1vadx8f/ai_companies_are_destroying_millions_of_books_for/"> <img alt="AI companies are destroying millions of books for data training" src="https://external-preview.redd.it/TgzclSAVU9mC6fetlyq4OPlbwCV7r_HRvgYk…
The new chapter in how # Ai fucking sucks and Ai companies need to be dismantled: # anthropic (likely amongst others) buying millions of books to scan and destroy. https://www. news.com.au/technology/online/ internet/ai-labs-buy-scan-shred-millions-of-rare-books/news-story/0c3b45…
Przemysłowa skala niszczenia fizycznych książek to nowa strategia gigantów AI, którzy szukają danych wolnych od cyfrowego smogu. Aby uniknąć błędów generowanych przez własne algorytmy, firmy skupują i mielą publikacje wydane przed 2023 rokiem. # si # ai # sztucznainteligencja # w…
📚️ 🖥️ AI companies are reportedly shredding millions of books after using them to train AI models — tech giants outsource to middlemen to secretly buy up books for training material 🔗 https://www. tomshardware.com/tech-industry /artificial-intelligence/ai-companies-are-reportedly…
AI companies are committing cultural genocide. # AI # genocide # books https:// novaramedia.com/2026/07/29/ai- firms-are-buying-up-old-books-then-scanning-and-destroying-them/
@ heavyelement.com "AI companies are going around and purchasing tons of rare books. Then, they're slicing the spine off these books, scanning every page, and then pulping the remains. …if you use these AI chatbots, you are complicit. We can stop this through regulation, through …
AI companies are reportedly shredding millions of books after using them to train AI models — tech giants outsource to middlemen to secretly buy up books for training material New report reveals that AI companies are buying up physical books to train their LLMs and destroying the…
🎮 AI companies are anonymously buying and destroying millions of books through middleman services to avoid headlines about AI companies buying and destroying millions of books Booksellers say they're facing a sudden surge of orders for seemingly random rare books—and fear they mi…
<table> <tr><td> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenAI/comments/1vmixc1/booksellers_suspect_ai_firms_are_buying_and_then/"> <img alt="Booksellers suspect AI firms are buying and then destroying rare books" src="https://external-preview.redd.it/NQrLcE4jt6ACVZLpdBlaQoQsMIw5Nm21K…
