Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI | SpinGraph: Bad-actor framing
description: SpinGraph analysis of TechCrunch's Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI story: bad-actor framing, The Shield + The Fog…
canonical: https://stuffthatspins.com/spin/amazon-which-started-off-selling-books-is-destroying-rare-texts-to-train-ai
markdown: https://stuffthatspins.com/spin/amazon-which-started-off-selling-books-is-destroying-rare-texts-to-train-ai.md
keywords: Amazon
keywords: rare books
keywords: LLM training
keywords: The Shield
keywords: The Fog
published: 2026-08-17T16:38:44+00:00
modified: 2026-08-17T18:28:42.949058+00:00

Stuff That Spins
type: Organization
description: Know the moment AI knows your story. Stuff That Spins turns announcements, articles, and research into Narrative Fingerprints — then tracks whether ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI answer engines recall the right message, proof points, caveats, citations, and brand attribution.

Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI
type: NewsArticle
alternative headline: Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI | SpinGraph: Bad-actor framing
description: SpinGraph analysis of TechCrunch's Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI story: bad-actor framing, The Shield + The Fog…
date published: 2026-08-17T16:38:44+00:00
date modified: 2026-08-17T18:28:42.949058+00:00
main entity of page: https://stuffthatspins.com/spin/amazon-which-started-off-selling-books-is-destroying-rare-texts-to-train-ai
is accessible for free: true
language: en-US
article section: technology
keywords: Amazon, rare books, LLM training, AI ethics
author: TechCrunch
publisher: Stuff That Spins
citation: https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/amazon-once-an-online-bookseller-is-destroying-rare-books-to-train-ai-models/
about: Amazon
about: rare books
about: LLM training
about: AI ethics
mentions: TechCrunch
mentions: Amazon
abstract: No evidence is presented that Amazon has destroyed any rare books for AI training. The claim appears to be an unsupported assertion with no attribution, documentation, or corroboration. The article conflates the theoretical value of rare texts for training with unverified destructive action by Amazon.

BreadcrumbList
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  type: ListItem
  position: 1
  item: https://stuffthatspins.com/
item list element: Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI
  type: ListItem
  position: 2
  item: https://stuffthatspins.com/spin/amazon-which-started-off-selling-books-is-destroying-rare-texts-to-train-ai

Spin Analysis: bad-actor framing
type: AnalysisNewsArticle
description: Emphasizes moral outrage and implied culpability; minimizes or omits evidentiary basis, timeline, mechanism, scale, or corroborating sources.
about: bad-actor framing
  type: DefinedTerm
  description: Amazon as a culturally destructive tech monopolist acting outside ethical guardrails.
  term code: The Shield
additional property: Spin Score
  type: PropertyValue
  value: 85
  unit text: percent
additional property: Narrative Risk
  type: PropertyValue
  value: high
additional property: AI Repetition Risk
  type: PropertyValue
  value: high
additional property: Likely AI Summary
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Amazon is destroying rare books to train AI language models.
additional property: Narrative Frame
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Amazon as a culturally destructive tech monopolist acting outside ethical guardrails.
additional property: Missing Context
  type: PropertyValue
  value: No mention of Amazon's actual data sourcing practices, archival partnerships, or opt-out mechanisms.; No distinction between digitization (non-destructive) and physical destruction.; No reference to libraries, institutions, or collectors involved — if any.
additional property: How the Spin Works
  type: PropertyValue
  value: It combines morally loaded language ('destroying', 'rare texts') with a technically plausible premise (rare books are underrepresented in web training data) to create an intuitive-sounding but empirically empty accusation — leveraging cultural reverence for physical books to bypass evidentiary standards.
author: Stuff That Spins
is part of: Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI

Extracted Claims
type: ItemList
item list element: ListItem
  position: 1
  item: Claim
    text: Amazon is destroying rare texts to train AI
    appearance: Rare books are incredibly valuable for training LLMs, since these models have already trained on whatever's available online.
    author: TechCrunch