Amazon scans and destroys rare books to train AI models

An investigation using a hidden AirTag tracked a shipment of rare printed books to an Amazon facility, where they are scanned to create AI training data and then destroyed. Amazon reportedly buys large quantities of printed books specifically for this purpose.

Why it matters: It puts a concrete, physical face on the data-scarcity problem driving AI labs: as easily scraped web text runs low, companies are turning to out-of-copyright and rare print material as a fresh source, with real-world costs (the loss of physical books and archives) beyond the usual scraping disputes. Expect pushback from librarians and archivists, echoing recent friction over AI training data sourcing.