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‘More than just objects’: Australian booksellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed AI

The Guardian Tech Saturday 01 August 2026, 20:00 UTC By Stephanie Convery 1 min read
Key Points

Secondhand booksellers believe they may have been caught up in the AI supply chain that sees old books scanned then destroyedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast“Sometimes books tell you more than the content,” says Tim White, as he lines up carefully dust-jacketed books and pamphlets in plastic sleeves on temporary shelves in Melbourne University’s Wilson Hall. He’s preparing his stall for this weekend’s Melbourne...

Secondhand booksellers believe they may have been caught up in the AI supply chain that sees old books scanned then destroyed

“Sometimes books tell you more than the content,” says Tim White, as he lines up carefully dust-jacketed books and pamphlets in plastic sleeves on temporary shelves in Melbourne University’s Wilson Hall.

He’s preparing his stall for this weekend’s Melbourne Rare Book Fair. For people like White, who runs independent bookshop Books for Cooks, the book as a physical object is just as important as what’s inside it.

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Australian (ORG) AI Secondhand (ORG) AI (ORG) Australia (LOCATION) Tim White (PERSON) Melbourne University’s (ORG) Wilson Hall (PERSON) White (PERSON) Books for Cooks (ORG)
Originally published by The Guardian Tech Read original →

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