this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2026
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AI labs buy, scan, shred millions of rare books (www.news.com.au)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Artificial intelligence labs are in a new arms race to buy up millions of rare books, slicing them open, scanning the pages and pulping the remains — sparking concerns that the last remaining copies of out-of-print texts are being destroyed on an industrial scale.

ISBNdb notes that “print books from the pre-LLM era are structurally guaranteed to be free of this contamination”.

“Millions of the most valuable books have never been digitised. They exist only in physical form, scattered across library shelves, used bookstores, and out-of-print catalogues. We get them to you at scale.”

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[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Well now no one else can form any connection because they're fucking gone.

[–] Rekorse@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That's how life works, people come and go. We can't remember every single person that's ever lived forever, but people can have keepsakes of those important to them in their lives.

Its not sad that more people didnt get to make that specific connection, because there are countless opportunities to connect with people now.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Books aren't people. They can last a lot longer if properly cared for and not burnt to feed a slop machine.

[–] Rekorse@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Books are important because of their human connection. If there is none left to have then its functionally worthless.

I think its a bit egocentric to think our thoughts will be important forever

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Human connection can occur across millennia tho. Like, I'm not saying any or all of these are the Aeneid, but people connect to that.

I mean people connect to the Bibble

[–] Rekorse@sh.itjust.works -2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I think we would be better off forging human connections with those around us than trying to make those connections with the remnants of those long passed.

The bible is also a rough example, because its been modified and translated over the last 2000 years. I'd argue there isn't much connection to those who originally wrote it, and I don't think the intent of religion is human connection anyways.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I mean I agree up to the point of discarding the past. Which is kind of what the pulping is.