[TECHNOLOGY] · United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada · 10 sources

started about 1 month ago · updated 27 days ago

Part of situation: AI companies accused of destructive book scanning (7 clusters)

Anthropic accused of destroying books for AI training

Anthropic AI training destructive scanning secondhand books copyright

AI development company Anthropic is facing scrutiny following reports that it is purchasing millions of secondhand books to train its language models. Court documents have revealed a program known as ‘Project Panama,’ in which the company acquires vast quantities of physical books to facilitate digital data collection.

To accelerate the digitization process, the company reportedly employs a method called ‘destructive scanning.’ This involves cutting the spines and edges off books to allow for automated page scanning, after which the physical copies are destroyed. While Anthropic has stated that rare books are not targeted, the practice has drawn sharp criticism from the international antiquarian community.

Booksellers in the UK, Ireland, Germany, and elsewhere have reported a surge in massive, irregular orders from North American buyers. These orders often consist of random, non-thematic collections of books. While some dealers have seen significant short-term profits, industry representatives, such as the Association of German Antiquarians, have condemned the practice as ‘barbarism’ and raised serious concerns regarding copyright infringement and the loss of physical cultural heritage.

Entities

Anthropic · Association of German Antiquarians · Barter Books · Claude · Project Panama

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 4 SOURCES] The process involves scanning books and then treating the physical copies as paper pulp. www.diariodejerez.es · www.eldiadecordoba.es · www.europasur.es · www.malagahoy.es
[● 4 SOURCES] The acquired books are primarily published before 2022 to avoid AI contamination. www.diariodejerez.es · www.eldiadecordoba.es · www.europasur.es · www.malagahoy.es
[● 4 SOURCES] The method utilizes a legal loophole in US jurisprudence regarding scanning and original preservation. www.diariodejerez.es · www.eldiadecordoba.es · www.europasur.es · www.malagahoy.es
[● 4 SOURCES] Anthropic developed Project Panama to train its Claude AI tool. www.diariodejerez.es · www.eldiadecordoba.es · www.europasur.es · www.malagahoy.es
[● 4 SOURCES] The project involves acquiring millions of physical book titles worldwide. www.diariodejerez.es · www.eldiadecordoba.es · www.europasur.es · www.malagahoy.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] Anthropic acquires approximately 11,000 books daily for AI training. borncity.com
[● 2 SOURCES] The practice of destroying books for scanning is a barbarity. www.n-tv.de · borncity.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] The company confirmed a project named ‘Project Panama’ in court documents. borncity.com
[DISPUTED] Anthropic claims that no rare books are destroyed through this method. borncity.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] The company uses a destructive scanning process where book spines are cut to automate page reading. borncity.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Antiquarians have reported receiving unusual, large-scale orders, some resulting in six-figure profits. www.n-tv.de · borncity.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] A single order from Canada equaled the typical weekly sales volume of Barter Books. www.it-boltwise.de