Booksellers suspect AI firms are buying and then destroying rare books
Summary
Some tech companies are buying rare books and destroying them to quickly scan the pages for training artificial intelligence (AI) models. The process harms physical books, but there are slower, non-destructive methods like those used by the Internet Archive to preserve rare books during scanning.Key Facts
- AI companies want to use books as high-quality sources to improve their models.
- Destroying books by cutting and scanning pages is the fastest and cheapest way to digitize them.
- Google invented a method in 2009 to scan books without damage, but it is slower and more expensive.
- The Internet Archive scans rare books carefully by hand to avoid damage and preserve them.
- Automated book scanners often fail with fragile or rare books.
- Internet Archive’s staff carefully handle each page to reduce errors and protect old books.
- There is concern that many rare physical books could be lost due to AI companies’ destructive scanning methods.
- The Internet Archive’s thorough approach contrasts with faster AI firm methods that may sacrifice book preservation.
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