AI is out of data. Now it’s burning books

An investigative report from 404 Media found that Amazon operates a Las Vegas facility, known as VGT3, where workers slice the bindings off rare books, scan the loose pages, and recycle the shredded remains to train artificial intelligence, according to worker interviews and an antiquarian book dealer who tracked a bulk order with an Apple AirTag. The dealer grew suspicious of massive bulk orders and hid the AirTag inside a shipment, which led to the Amazon AI facility. The practice cuts digitization costs to a fraction of normal methods.

In 1994, Jeff Bezos https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/jeff-bezos started Amazon https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/amazon as a small online bookstore. The idea was simple. He used digital logistics to give more people access to books. Three decades later, his company https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/business runs a quiet warehouse in Las Vegas. There, industrial machines slice the bindings off rare books. Workers feed the loose pages into scanners and dump the shredded remains into recycling bins. An investigative report from 404 Media exposed this operation. An antiquarian book dealer grew suspicious of massive bulk orders. The seller hid an Apple AirTag inside a shipment. It tracked the package to an Amazon artificial intelligence facility known as VGT3. Worker interviews confirmed the routine. Tech teams destroy physical books to scan loose pages on fast sheet rollers. It cuts digitization costs to a fraction of normal methods. Stay informed.Stay ahead. Join Washington Examiner for unlimited access to the news, analysis, and commentary that matter most. See Options https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/subscribe/digital/ Already a member? Log in https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sign-in/ Click here to login/register your account /print-subscription-check