Secondhand booksellers in UK and Ireland suspect AI firms behind ‘strange’ bulk orders

Development comes after Anthropic was found to have spent millions on books to scan for data acquisition'

Secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland are reporting a flurry of bulk orders from mystery buyers, amid speculation AI companies are acquiring the tomes for their data.

Bookshops contacted by the Guardian say they have been receiving orders from buyers in the US, Canada, continental Europe and the UK. The increase has been replicated around the world, with booksellers in the US, Australia and Europe also reporting unusual orders.