AI firms digitize and destroy books for training data

AI companies are acquiring large quantities of physical books from secondhand markets, with the intention of digitizing them for AI training. This process involves slicing off the book spines for high-speed scanning and then pulping the original copies. The practice has drawn comparisons to fictional scenarios where technology companies digitize books for AI-assisted research. AI

IMPACT This practice raises questions about data sourcing and preservation for AI training, potentially impacting the availability of physical texts.

RANK_REASON Article discusses a practice by AI companies that has product/tooling implications, rather than a core AI release or research.

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