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

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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.

Science Technology and Environment

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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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