Company that said it could scan and destroy books for AI data-harvesting has deleted that part of its website: 'no such service was ever brought to life'

A company that had claimed it could scan and destroy books for AI data-harvesting has announced the service never existed, according to a report by 404 Media. The company, ISBNdb, removed the section of its website advertising its unique offering, stating it was merely a market interest test that never came to fruition. Despite the deleted advertisement, the website remains accessible via the Internet Archive, and the company's blog post on the "Reframing the Destruction Narrative" still contains the company's professed commitment to the intellectual cycle of knowledge rather than the physical destruction of books.

Recent reports indicate a surge in sales of secondhand books from third-party rebuyers, suggesting a significant market for these resources.