Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI?
Booksellers are reporting mysterious bulk orders. It's thought the books are being used to train AI - and ending up pulped.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"never seen the like of this after 30 years in the second-hand book trade"
— Stuart Manley , Executive
"In some ways it's very nice to sell some of these titles which haven't been sold for many years, but it would be sad if they are ultimately destroyed."
— David Tobin , Executive
"The starting point in the UK is that all these acts of copying - creating the training library and doing the training – require the permission of the copyright owner."
— Professor Emily Hudson , Academic
"Anthropic's use of the authors' books was 'exceedingly transformative' and therefore allowed under US law."
— Judge William Alsup , Other
Key People
All Coverage
Booksellers are reporting mysterious bulk orders. It's thought the books are being used to train AI - and ending up pulped.
Similar Stories
Related coverage based on topic and tags
Companies cutting jobs as investments shift toward AI - Reuters
Companies cutting jobs as investments shift toward AI Reuters
October 7, 2026 at 05:24 AMApplied Digital's revenue soars, loss widens on growing AI investments - Reuters
Applied Digital's revenue soars, loss widens on growing AI investments Reuters
October 7, 2026 at 09:23 PMPentagon stops using Anthropic AI tools after blacklisting company, BBC told
It labelled Anthropic a "supply chain risk" in February after the firm refused to remove safety guardrails from its tools.
October 5, 2026 at 04:13 PMStocks meander as AI spending worries, elevated yields weigh - Reuters
Stocks meander as AI spending worries, elevated yields weigh Reuters
October 9, 2026 at 01:56 AMMorning Bid: Feeding the AI beast - Reuters
Morning Bid: Feeding the AI beast Reuters
October 9, 2026 at 04:31 AM'Careless use of AI is the real threat - not the ghost stories'
Meredith Whittaker says the tech has been misunderstood, in an exclusive interview with BBC Global Women.
October 9, 2026 at 07:05 AM