AI firms destroy books, scan rare ones
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The gist
AI firms buy and destroy physical books to train models, per 404 Media's AirTag probe. The practice locks knowledge in private servers, threatening public access to rare texts.
Background
AI companies have been acquiring large quantities of used and rare books through intermediaries, scanning them to train large language models, and then destroying the originals. This practice was first exposed in a lawsuit against Anthropic, which revealed its 'Project Panama' aimed to 'destructively scan all the books in the world.' A recent investigation by 404 Media used an AirTag hidden in a rare book to trace a shipment to an Amazon facility in Las Vegas, confirming that Amazon also engages in destructive scanning. The practice has sparked concern among booksellers and the public about the loss of cultural heritage and the monopolization of knowledge.
How it unfolded
- early 2024Anthropic launched 'Project Panama,' a confidential project to purchase millions of books, scan them, and destroy them for AI training.
- 2026A lawsuit against Anthropic revealed details of 'Project Panama,' including plans to scan 500,000 to 2 million books over six months.
- Aug 15, 2026The Guardian reported that secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland suspected AI firms behind 'strange' bulk orders.
- Aug 17, 2026404 Media published an investigation using an AirTag hidden in a rare book, tracing it to Amazon's LAS8 warehouse in Las Vegas, where books are scanned and destroyed.
- Aug 18, 2026Decrypt and other outlets reported on the 404 Media investigation, confirming Amazon's involvement and the broader industry practice.
Who’s saying what
- AI Companies
- Anthropic stated it does not buy and destroy rare or antiquarian books, and Amazon said it purchases books through commercial channels to improve products and services.
- Booksellers
- Booksellers suspect AI firms are behind bulk orders, with one saying 'it's masses and masses of AI money being squandered.'
- Public
- Book lovers and AI skeptics called the practice 'evil incarnate' and railed against it.
- Anna's Archive
- Anna's Archive is calling on volunteers worldwide to scan and upload books before they are destroyed, to preserve human knowledge.
Still unverified
The exact number of books destroyed by AI companies is unknown. Some claims, such as Elon Musk's SpaceXAI preserving rare books, are unverified. The court ruling that destructive scanning is 'transformative' is based on a specific case and may not apply universally.