Amazon Confirmed Destroying Rare Books for AI Training Data
An investigation by 404 Media has revealed that Amazon is acquiring significant amounts of books, digitizing them for AI training purposes, and subsequently destroying the physical editions. This initiative, referred to as VGT3, operates out of the LAS8 warehouse located in Las Vegas, Nevada, where staff remove bindings to facilitate faster scanning. While Amazon confirmed its book purchases for AI development, it did not comment on the destruction of books or the number of involved facilities. Booksellers observed an increase in bulk acquisitions, suspecting that AI firms are targeting printed materials, particularly those published before 2022, which lack AI-generated content. A rare book was tracked via an Apple AirTag from California to Las Vegas, prompting public criticism over the impact on cultural heritage.
Key facts
- Amazon is buying and destroying rare books to scan for AI training data.
- The operation is located at Amazon warehouse LAS8 in Las Vegas, Nevada, under the code VGT3.
- Employees cut off book bindings to scan pages more quickly.
- The VGT3 logo is a Tyrannosaurus rex holding a book.
- A 404 Media investigation tracked a shipment of rare books using an Apple AirTag.
- The books traveled from California to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, then to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and finally to Las Vegas.
- Amazon confirmed the purchases but did not answer questions about the destruction.
- Booksellers had previously reported a spike in bulk purchases suspected to be from AI companies.
- A judge ruled that Anthropic's similar book scanning was fair use.
- The books scanned are rare and not widely available online.
Entities
Institutions
- Amazon
- 404 Media
- Biblio
- Trifinity
- Anthropic
- OpenAI
Locations
- Las Vegas
- Nevada
- California
- Milwaukee
- Wisconsin
- Kenosha
- Colorado Springs
- Grand Junction
- Colorado