I’m just repeating what 404 media said on their July 21 podcast. They said that the first reports of AI book buyups were in Spain and the Netherlands, from rare book traders. The theory is that these AI companies are in a race to get the rare books first because they will be scanned and destroyed and they know that the widely circulated books will be available later

Edit: and if you scan and destroy rare books then you have an advantage over the competition, another company can’t scan a book you’ve destroyed