Hidden AirTag Evidence Fuels Illicit AI Book-Scanning Allegations
TL;DR
A hidden AirTag found in a shipment of rare books is said to have led investigators to an Amazon facility where books are sliced from their bindings and scanned for use in AI training, supporting long-standing suspicions that some bulk used-book orders are intended to feed AI systems without author consent or payment; the 404 Media investigation—which is paywalled—alleges this practice is underway and highlights legal and IP gaps as laws struggle to keep pace with AI-enabled text collection.
- Hidden AirTag appears to confirm suspicions about illicit AI book scanning 9to5Mac
- Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI Yahoo Finance
- Why tech companies are buying up tons of rare old books to train their AI models NPR
- Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI? BBC
- How an AirTag planted by a reporter led to a secret Amazon site where old books are cut apart and scanned GeekWire
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