Amazon reportedly destroys rare books for AI training as Anthropic's 'Project Panama' surfaces; complaint filed with FTC
TechCrunch reports that Amazon is destroying rare books for AI training, and that Anthropic ran a similar operation, "Project Panama", which came to light during the authors' copyright case. Rights advocates have filed a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and suspicions of mass purchases have emerged in the used-book market.
Sources
- AI companies are buying used books by the thousands. Some may be destroyed for training - Fast Companyfastcompany.com · Aug 17, 2026
- Are AI Companies Really Buying—And Destroying–Antique Books?forbes.com · Aug 17, 2026
- AI companies are buying—and destroying—antique books. Here’s why.forbes.com.au · Aug 19, 2026
- AI Companies are buying hardcover books and destroying them - Good e-Readergoodereader.com · Aug 19, 2026
- AI companies destroying physical books | Explained - The Hinduthehindu.com · Aug 20, 2026
- AirTag reveals how Amazon destroys rare books for AI trainingthe-decoder.com · Aug 17, 2026
- Hidden Airtag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI - Ars Technicaarstechnica.com · Aug 17, 2026
- Amazon destroying rare books to scan them for AI training dataqz.com · Aug 18, 2026
Machine-generated summary based on the titles and excerpts of the source articles. The facts come from the linked article.