Hidden Airtag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI
Summary
A hidden tracking device in a rare book revealed that Amazon is destroying rare books to scan their pages and use the text to train artificial intelligence (AI) models. This happens at an Amazon facility in Las Vegas, where workers remove pages from books for scanning, raising concerns about the damage to valuable books.Key Facts
- Amazon buys large numbers of rare books and destroys them after scanning pages for AI training.
- A hidden Apple Airtag tracked a rare book from a bookseller to an Amazon AI training site in Las Vegas.
- The Amazon facility focuses on removing book pages before scanning, which permanently damages the books.
- Amazon says it buys books through regular channels to improve its products but does not mention AI training directly.
- Amazon is working on advanced AI models that need lots of unique training text, including rare books.
- Workers at the facility reported times when the supply of books ran out, threatening the operation.
- The scanning process involves reading barcodes or ISBNs to catalog books systematically.
- Booksellers worry this practice harms valuable collections and raises ethical questions about destroying rare books for data.
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