In the margins of old books, what AI cannot replace

In the margins of old books, artificial intelligence's appetite remains insatiable, according to second-hand booksellers in the UK. A surge in sales of pre-owned books has followed recent revelations about Anthropic's mysterious “Project Panama,” which involves large-scale buying and scanning of books, mostly second-hand. The irony is that AI's reliance on internet-sourced information has rendered it low-quality, leading to a renewed interest in books.

Despite the slump in the publishing industry, the purchase of books in such numbers appears paradoxically positive. However, this good news belies a harsh reality. AI can only consume books through "destructive" scanning, a process that involves ripping off the spines of books so that the pages can be rapidly scanned and the remains recycled.

This digitization by digestion is an unfortunate fate for books, as Virginia Woolf once noted, where one might encounter a "complete stranger" who could become "the best friend we have in the world." For many, the main appeal of second-hand books lies in their charm, distinctive smell, revelatory beauty of marginalia, and the promise of serendipity.

While collectors are right to appreciate the delights of old, yellowing pages and their unique aroma, browsing through books once prized by others and discovering new loves within them offers a special allure. In an age where algorithms determine what is seen and what is ignored, second-hand books provide a rare promise of serendipity that artificial intelligence cannot replicate.