European indie bookstores suspect AI firms of bulk-buying obscure books for training data

Published Aug 12, 10:00 AM UTC

Independent bookstores in Europe, including in Galway, Ireland, and Berlin, Germany, are receiving suspicious bulk online orders for thousands of obscure books that have not seen interest in years. Sellers fear these acquisitions are made by AI companies seeking to expand their training datasets, potentially destroying the books after digitizing them with destructive scanners. The orders include titles like 'A History of Connemara' and 'Pass Your Driving Test, 2018 Edition,' which seem illogical for personal purchase. The German Publishers and Booksellers' Association notes that scanning books violates German copyright law and suspects the orders are routed through local addresses for eventual bulk shipping to the US, where AI training may be less restricted. The article also references lawsuits against Meta, Nvidia, and Anthropic over book piracy for AI training, highlighting ongoing legal battles over copyright and fair use.