Booksellers from around the world have been reporting unusual mega orders, with Stuart Manley from Barter Books in Northumberland saying he has 'never seen the like of this after 30 years in the second-hand book trade'. The suspicion is that the books are being used to train AI, with the court battle over books in the US providing a possible explanation. A judge ruled in 2025 that using books purchased in this way to train AI software was not a violation of US copyright law.
Secondhand book sales boom linked to AI training
UKPulse Local DeskIndependent booksellers have reported unusual bulk orders, with scores of novels being shipped to far-off warehouses, sparking speculation that the books are being used to train AI.
- Booksellers have reported unusual bulk orders, with scores of novels being shipped to far-off warehouses.
- The suspicion is that the books are being used to train AI, with the court battle over books in the US providing a possible explanation.
- Copyright laws in the UK are different to those in the US, with experts saying that all acts of copying require the permission of the copyright owner.
Why this matters: The use of secondhand books to train AI raises ethical concerns, particularly if rare or antiquarian books are being destroyed in the process.
What this means for you: If you're a book lover, you may be concerned about the fate of secondhand books being used to train AI, particularly if they're rare or antiquarian.