Hidden AirTag Traces Rare Book Shipment to Amazon AI Training Facility
Hidden AirTag in rare book leads to Amazon facility where books are scanned for AI training, confirming unauthorized use of authors' works.
The investigation by 404 Media involved placing an AirTag inside a shipment of rare books sold as part of a bulk order. The tracking device led to an Amazon facility where employees confirmed that large shipments of printed books arrive, have their bindings sliced off, and are scanned at high speed, a process that destroys the books. A dinosaur holding a book and baring its teeth is the logo on the facility's door, according to employees who spoke to 404 Media.
Booksellers specializing in used books have reported receiving massive bulk orders with no apparent connection between titles, leading to suspicions that AI companies are stripping bindings and scanning the pages to feed AI systems without author consent or payment. The 404 Media investigation appears to provide the first concrete proof of this practice, with TNW reporting on the findings.
The report notes that used books are especially valuable for AI training because anything published after 2022 may contain text written or edited by AI systems, meaning companies could effectively be training AI on AI output. Publishing contracts generally prohibit authors from using AI-generated content, but self-published books are harder to control.
The legal landscape is unsettled. While the practice would likely be illegal in the UK, a 2025 ruling in the US deemed it lawful as a "transformative" use of copyrighted material, according to the report.