AI Book Destruction and Legalized Censorship
AI companies are systematically purchasing, scanning, and destroying rare books to eliminate content deemed incompatible with AI training data, framed as a form of modern censorship.
July 2021
archive.org digitized book titled Eliza
The platform archive.org completed the digitization of a book titled Eliza. This action was cited in the discussion regarding methods for preserving physical books.
Source ↗May 2026
Zoom Books ordered three full boxes from Good Reading Secondhand Books
Zoom Books placed an order for books from Good Reading Secondhand Books, which is located in Benalla, Victoria. The order consisted of three full boxes of rare titles.
Source ↗July 2026
AI Companies Allegedly Buying Old Books for Model Training
AI companies are reportedly purchasing large quantities of old books. These books are intended for use in training AI models, allegedly under the premise of fair use.
Source ↗Anthropic's 'Project Panama' involved hiring document scanning companies
Tom Harvey confirmed that the AI firm hired several document scanning companies for its digitalization project. Datamation Information Services was identified as one of the companies contracted.
Source ↗AI firm outsourced book scanning to Datamation Information Services
The AI firm contracted Datamation Information Services to provide book scanning services. Datamation offers both high-volume, non-destructive, and destructive book scanning services.
Source ↗ISBNdb advertises services for AI companies acquiring old books
ISBNdb advertises its service to AI companies. This service allows these companies to acquire old books while maintaining secrecy regarding their identity and acquisition targets.
Source ↗ISBNdb mandates strict non-disclosure agreements for AI engagements
ISBNdb requires a legally binding non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for every engagement with AI companies. This policy ensures that the identity and strategy of the participating AI companies remain undisclosed.
Source ↗ISBNdb Notes Contamination Status of Pre-LLM Books
ISBNdb stated that print books originating from the pre-LLM era are structurally guaranteed to be free of contamination. This note was made in the context of AI data acquisition.
Source ↗AI Labs Acquire and Destroy Millions of Rare Books
Artificial intelligence labs are reportedly buying millions of rare books. These books are being scanned and pulped, leading to concerns over the destruction of out-of-print texts.
Source ↗ISBNdb Notes Pre-LLM Books Are Free From Contamination
ISBNdb issued a note stating that print books from the pre-LLM era are structurally guaranteed to be free of contamination. This note addresses the digitization process used by AI labs.
Source ↗Artificial Intelligence Labs Acquire and Destroy Rare Books
Artificial intelligence labs are reportedly engaging in an arms race to purchase millions of rare books. These physical texts are being sliced open, scanned, and pulped.
Source ↗AI Labs Buying and Destroying Millions of Rare Books
Artificial intelligence labs are reportedly purchasing millions of rare books. These books are subsequently being sliced open, scanned, and pulped.
Source ↗AI Companies Allegedly Destroy Millions of Books Through Middlemen
The post alleges that AI companies are anonymously purchasing and destroying millions of books. This alleged action is claimed to be a method used to avoid public attention regarding the destruction.
Source ↗AI Companies Buying and Destroying Old Books
AI companies are reportedly purchasing large quantities of old books. These books are subsequently destroyed after acquisition.
Source ↗AI labs scan and shred millions of rare books
AI labs are reportedly buying, scanning, and pulping millions of rare books in a warehouse. This action is described as a process driven by corporate greed for training Large Language Models.
Source ↗Australia fights back against AI book destruction
Australia is actively opposing the actions of the AI labs regarding the destruction of literature. This resistance is noted in the context of the book scanning and shredding operations.
Source ↗ISBNdb adds note denying AI book training claims
ISBNdb added a note to its homepage and news page regarding recent coverage. The company stated it has never purchased, scanned, or sold a book for AI training.
Source ↗ISBNdb removes AI book sourcing webpage
Following reporting by 404 Media, ISBNdb removed the webpage offering 'Printed Books Sourcing for AI Training.' The company subsequently walked back its claims about the service.
Source ↗ISBNdb removes webpages regarding AI book training
ISBNdb removed its webpages concerning the training of AI models. The company stated the initiative was a "test of market interest."
Source ↗ISBNdb denies involvement in AI book training activities
ISBNdb publicly denied ever buying, scanning, or selling books for the purpose of AI training. This denial followed media coverage regarding the offering.
Source ↗August 2026
Amazon Uses Las Vegas Facility to Scan and Destroy Books
404 Media revealed Amazon's book buying operation, which involves scanning massive quantities of printed books for AI training data. These books are subsequently destroyed at the Amazon VGT3 facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Source ↗Anna's Archive calls for volunteers to preserve physical books
Anna's Archive is calling for volunteers to scan and preserve physical books. This initiative is a response to AI companies purchasing and destroying physical books to train their AI models.
Source ↗404 Media Reports Alleged Book Destruction at Amazon Facility
An investigation reported by 404 Media tracked a shipment of hard-to-find titles to an Amazon facility associated with operation VGT3 in Las Vegas. Workers allegedly cut the bindings from the books before scanning their pages and subsequently destroying them for AI training.
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