AI companies are buying rare books to scan them, then shredding the originals
seanmcdonaldxyz · x · 2026-07-28
A thread argues that AI companies are bulk-buying rare books, scanning them, and destroying the originals — a practice framed as a kind of “new Library of Alexandria.” The quoted discussion says this has raised alarm because some nearly irreplaceable books may be going through the pipeline, and it highlights the legal and preservation questions around book scanning at scale.
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