● Covered by 2 sources · 2 reportsMedium impact2 neutral
Secondhand Booksellers Report Unusual Bulk Orders, Suspect AI Training Data Acquisition
Key points
- Booksellers in UK, Ireland, US, Australia, and Europe report unusual bulk orders.
- Orders are non-thematic, including diverse titles like specific imprints and old magazines.
- Speculation suggests AI companies are buying books for training data.
- A 2025 US court ruling found AI training with purchased books is not copyright infringement.
Unusual Bulk Purchases Reported
Secondhand booksellers across the UK, Ireland, US, Australia, and continental Europe have observed a rise in bulk orders from unidentified buyers. These purchases, which began approximately three months ago, are characterized by their unusual nature, often comprising a diverse collection of titles rather than books grouped by theme.
Stuart Manley, co-owner of Barter Books in Alnwick, Northumberland, noted that a recent order included an Estonian translation of John le Carré’s The Mission Song, a specific imprint of Anne Brontë’s Agnes Grey, and the October 1983 edition of Warship magazine. Manley stated he sold hundreds of random books to three buyers for about £4,000, and a single bulk order from a Canadian company recently equaled his typical weekly sales volume.
Speculation on AI Company Involvement
Booksellers suspect that AI companies are behind these bulk purchases, acquiring the books to use as training data for artificial intelligence software. The non-thematic nature of the orders, which include varied genres and specific editions, aligns with the potential need for diverse textual data for AI models.
Jim Shaughnessy, owner of MW Books in Claregalway, Ireland, also reported similar experiences. The ultimate destination of these books remains unknown to the sellers, but the prevailing theory points to AI development.
Legal Context for AI Training Data
The speculation linking these purchases to AI companies is supported by a 2025 US court ruling. This decision determined that using purchased books to train AI software does not constitute a violation of US copyright law. This legal precedent may encourage AI developers to acquire physical books for data, even if destructive scanning is involved.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Independent booksellers are reporting an unusual surge in bulk purchases of secondhand books, with suspicions that AI companies are acquiring them for training data. This trend follows a 2025 US court ruling that deemed using purchased books for AI training as non-violating of copyright law, even if the books are destructively scanned.
Secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland are receiving bulk orders of varied books from mystery buyers, leading to speculation that AI companies are acquiring these books for data. This trend has been observed globally, with booksellers noting the unusual, non-thematic nature of the orders.