Groups are urging the agency to examine the practice of buying, scanning and destroying books to train AI.
Over a dozen civil groups urge the FTC to investigate AI companies acquiring and destroying books for model training as anticompetitive. The shift from copyright to antitrust precedent could reshape incumbent data moat strategies and competitive positioning in AI.
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The Federal Trade Commission is being urged to investigate AI companies for buying, scanning and destroying books to train AI, per a letter shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: If the FTC agrees, the fight over AI training data may move from copyright into competition.
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There's a backlash against book destruction — and a better way to scan them.
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FTC Must Investigate AI Book Burning
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Podcast: Amazon is Destroying Rare Books to Train AI
World's largest open library calls for volunteers to scan and preserve physical books as AI companies buy, scan, and destroy them — Anna's Archive says ‘time is running out’ as ‘knowledge is permanently monopolized on private servers’
