A pro-AI argument says 640,000 tons of books are landfilled every year
hey_abusiddik · x · 2026-07-29
The post argues that huge volumes of books are pulped or landfilled every year, and claims it is better for AI companies to divert them for training than let them be destroyed.
- It cites a figure of 640,000 tons of books sent to US landfills each year.
- It says some of these books are “rare” only in the sense that they are obsolete or niche manuals and joke books.
- The writer dismisses the reporting as rage-bait, arguing that nobody is shredding truly priceless works like Gutenberg Bibles or the Codex Gigas.
Related event: AI Training Sparks Debate Over 640K Tons of Landfilled Books(2 posts)→
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