Post by @tlensnap

AI's Book Scanning Boom Is Raising Preservation Concerns AI companies are racing to digitize millions of books to train their models, but the process has sparked debate over the use of destructive scanning, where printed books are dismantled so each page can be scanned quickly. Some companies, including Anthropic, have reportedly purchased large collections of books, removed their bindings, scanned every page, and discarded the physical copies to build AI training datasets. While this approach is faster and more cost-effective, non-destructive scanning technology already exists, allowing books to be digitized without damaging them. The discussion highlights a growing challenge: how to accelerate AI development while safeguarding cultural heritage, especially when it comes to rare, historical, and out-of-print books that may be difficult or impossible to replace. #artificialintelligence #books #digitalpreservation #innovation #futuretech