Secondhand Book Sales Surge Amid AI Speculation
Booksellers in the UK and Ireland are experiencing a surge in bulk orders, with concerns that these books may be purchased for AI training.
By BBC News
Independent secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland have reported a notable increase in bulk orders. This trend has emerged over recent months, although the ultimate fate of the books remains unclear.
The situation has drawn attention following recent legal developments in the United States involving the AI company Anthropic. Court documents unsealed last month revealed that books were destroyed during the training of the Claude chatbot, a process referred to internally as 'Project Panama'. This project reportedly involves the 'destructive scanning' of books, which includes removing their spines and scanning pages at an industrial scale before recycling the remnants.
Experts suggest that the diverse range of titles being ordered, including some that are rare or unusual, indicates a connection to AI usage. This pattern of orders has raised concerns among booksellers, who are uncertain about the final destination of their books.
Stuart Manley, from Barter Books in Northumberland, noted that a recent bulk order from a Canadian company matched his typical weekly sales, stating he has "never seen the like of this after 30 years in the second-hand book trade". Other booksellers have reported similar experiences, with many questioning whether their books are being purchased for avid readers or for AI training purposes.
The speculation about the connection between secondhand book sales and AI training has intensified following a US court ruling in 2025, which determined that using purchased books for AI training does not violate copyright law. This ruling stemmed from a lawsuit against Anthropic by three authors, with the judge stating that the company's use of the authors' works was 'exceedingly transformative'.
Despite Anthropic's insistence that their data acquisition practices do not involve the destruction of rare or antiquarian books, the notion that books are being pulped has caused unease within the bookselling community. David Tobin, who runs Walden Books in north London, expressed mixed feelings about the unusual sales, noting that while it is gratifying to sell long-unsold titles, it would be disheartening if they were ultimately destroyed.
The internal documents related to the Anthropic case indicated that the company aims to 'destructively scan all the books in the world'. This process raises ethical concerns among booksellers, who are uncomfortable with the idea of books being destroyed, even as they acknowledge that not every title needs to be preserved.
As the situation develops, booksellers continue to grapple with the implications of these bulk orders and the potential impact on the future of secondhand books.