BBC Tech8/15/2026, 11:25:32 AM

Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI?

WorldPing

Booksellers are reporting mysterious bulk orders. It's thought the books are being used to train AI - and ending up pulped.

This is a short WorldPing brief. The full report was published by BBC Tech.

Read the full report at BBC Tech

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Secondhand booksellers in UK and Ireland suspect AI firms behind ‘strange’ bulk orders

WorldPing

The Guardian

Secondhand booksellers in UK and Ireland suspect AI firms behind ‘strange’ bulk orders

Development comes after Anthropic was found to have spent millions on books to scan for ‘data acquisition’ Secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland are reporting a flurry of bulk orders from mystery buyers, amid speculation AI companies are acqui…

Brief by WorldPing · Original reporting by The Guardian