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Why tech companies are buying up tons of rare old books to train their AI models

NPR | By Erika Ryan,
Juana Summers, Mallory Yu
Published August 19, 2026 at 4:13 PM CDT

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with 404 Media cofounder and reporter Emanuel Maiberg about his investigation into a shipment of rare books which ended up at an Amazon AI training warehouse.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Erika Ryan
Erika Ryan is a producer for All Things Considered.
Juana Summers
Juana Summers is a host of NPR's All Things Considered.
See stories by Juana Summers
Mallory Yu
Mallory Yu is an associate producer for All Things Considered.
See stories by Mallory Yu
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