The Federal Trade Commission the USA is being urged to investigate AI companies allegedly buying rare books bulk and then destroying them. Groups the Consumer Federation America have asked the FTC to look claims that AI companies are digitizing the books to train their large language models (LLMs). The process includes breaking the spines the rare works, scanning the pages, and then destroying them. Some destroyed books may be the last surviving copies the original texts. Critics argue that such books are historically important and that it is not socially acceptable to burn them. One critic said: "The rarer a book is, the more carefully we should preserve it."
The bulk buying books is creating a dilemma stores that specialize rare and antique books. They are receiving large orders some rather valuable items, but are then questioning the ethics destroying books. The Wall Street Journal reported that rare and obscure book sales have suddenly surged. Booksellers have been getting unusually large orders out-of-print, and sometimes valuable books. It added that some books are apparently being bought not to be read, but to be digitized AI training. Earlier this year, the Washington Post reported that the companies are spending a fortune millions books that are being used to help train AI assistants.
