Japanese used bookstores see surge in bulk orders suspected to be for AI training

Japanese used bookstores are experiencing a massive surge in bulk orders, with some shops reporting sales increases of up to five times their normal volume. These orders consist of diverse specialized subjects, including philosophy, history, medicine, and law.

Records indicate that over 50 tons of Japanese books have been exported to the United States since last year via a major publishing wholesaler. This volume is estimated to represent approximately 100,000 books. The suspicious nature of these purchases stems from the possibility that AI companies are acquiring the books to scan them for machine learning data, a process that often involves cutting the spines of the books and subsequently destroying them.

While companies like Anthropic have faced litigation regarding book scanning projects, such practices have often been deemed legal. Under Japanese copyright law, the use of works for information analysis is broadly permitted, though legal experts note that exceptions exist if the use unfairly harms the interests of copyright holders. While the influx of orders benefits bookstore owners financially, there are concerns that the mass removal and destruction of rare specialized texts could deprive researchers and readers of access to essential information.