---
title: "Amazon found scanning and destroying rare books for AI training"
publisher: "Stockmark.IT"
author: "Stockmark.IT Website"
published: "2026-08-18T06:02:49+00:00"
modified: "2026-08-18T06:02:49+00:00"
date: 2026-08-18
canonical: "https://stockmark.it/amazon-caught-destroying-rare-books-to-train-ai/"
category: "Artificial intelligence"
categories: ["Artificial intelligence", "Business"]
image: "https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/amazon-found-scanning-and-destroying-rare-books-for-ai.png?fit=1536%2C1024&quality=80&ssl=1"
format: "news"
language: "en-GB"
---

# Amazon found scanning and destroying rare books for AI training

**Published:** August 18, 2026
**Author:** Stockmark.IT Website
**Categories:** Artificial intelligence, Business
**Featured image:** ![Amazon found scanning and destroying rare books for AI training](https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/amazon-found-scanning-and-destroying-rare-books-for-ai.png?fit=1536%2C1024&quality=80&ssl=1)

---

Amazon has been identified as scanning and destroying a large shipment of rare books to train its artificial intelligence models. An investigation by 404 Media revealed that a bookseller suspected an anonymous order for one thousand volumes on the Biblio marketplace was intended for an AI company. To verify the destination of the shipment, the seller placed an Apple AirTag between the pages of one of the books. The tracking device led to a site at a massive Amazon warehouse in Nevada, where workers described their role as stripping spines from received books to quickly scan their pages, resulting in the destruction of the physical items.

An Amazon employee, writing on a forum for workers, confirmed the process at the facility known as VGT3 in Las Vegas. The worker stated that the team’s primary function is to scan books, with some staff assigned to cutting volumes and others handling the receipt and barcode scanning of the items. Although the company appears to have attempted to keep the practice discreet, the internal branding for the section is notably explicit. The logo for VGT3 depicts a T-Rex holding a book in its hand, poised to eat it, a visual that observers have noted resembles AI-generated imagery. In response to inquiries from 404, Amazon issued a brief statement saying it purchases books through commercial channels to help develop and improve the products and services used by its customers.

Public awareness of this industrial practice in the AI sector grew following a lawsuit against Anthropic. That legal case revealed that the maker of the Claude chatbot was using industrial equipment to cut pages from millions of books and scan them before disposal. A judge ruled that because Anthropic was converting physical texts into digital formats and destroying the original copies, the process was transformative and therefore did not violate copyright law. Since that ruling, booksellers have frequently suspected that their inventory is being used and destroyed for AI training. Previous reporting indicated that sellers identified potential AI buyers by the large size of orders, the seemingly random selection of titles, and the presence of ISBNs, though they could not prove their suspicions due to the anonymity of the transactions.

The fact that workers at the Amazon site are scanning the ISBNs of all processed books lends credibility to a theory held by booksellers. They suggest that AI companies may be attempting to scan every printed book in the world by working through a list of all serial numbers. The bookseller involved in the recent investigation sold rare volumes, meaning few copies remain in circulation. While these books are not necessarily first editions of old classics, they hold significant value. The seller explained that value encompasses monetary, historical, intellectual, and sentimental aspects. They noted that AI companies appear to disregard these factors, seeking only the content as a collection of words strung together.

---

**Original URL:** https://stockmark.it/amazon-caught-destroying-rare-books-to-train-ai/
*Created by [WP Markdown Endpoint](https://wpmarkdownendpoint.com/)*