Amazon is reportedly purchasing books, removing their spines, scanning pages for artificial intelligence training data, and destroying the originals at a facility in North Las Vegas, according to an investigation published by 404 Media on August 19, 2026.
The company’s LAS8 fulfillment center, located at 5801 N. Nicco Way in North Las Vegas, houses a specialized unit called VGT3 dedicated to the scanning and shredding operation. The unit’s entrance features a logo of a Tyrannosaurus rex holding an open book and baring its teeth, appearing ready to eat it. Amazon operates 19 facilities across Southern Nevada.
The investigation tracked an order of approximately 1,000 books from a bookseller on Biblio, an online marketplace for used, rare, and out-of-print books. A bookseller allowed 404 Media to place an Apple AirTag inside one volume suspected of being destined for AI training. The AirTag’s final signal came from the north end of the LAS8 facility, where the VGT3 unit operates.
According to the report, VGT3 employees scan each book’s ISBN barcode before scanning its pages. The International Standard Book Number, a unique 13-digit code used globally to identify specific books, helps AI companies track which books they still need to complete a comprehensive database of published works.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Review-Journal, but a company spokesperson told 404 Media and Inc. that the company purchases books through commercial channels to help develop and improve its products and services. Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 with the ambition of becoming the world’s largest bookstore.
The practice is not unique to Amazon. Court documents revealed that Anthropic bought millions of books, removed their spines, and scanned pages before destroying them in an initiative called Project Panama. In June 2025, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled in Bartz v. Anthropic that converting a lawfully purchased physical book into a digital AI training file constituted transformative fair use under copyright law. However, because Anthropic settled rather than appealing, there is no binding precedent for other jurisdictions.
Booksellers across the United States and Europe have reported bulk book orders with no coherent subject matter, unified only by having ISBNs, placed by buyers showing no interest in literary or commercial value. Some booksellers have welcomed the demand, noting that slow-moving inventory is finally selling. Stuart Manley of Barter Books in England told the BBC he has not seen bulk orders like this in 30 years.
Others in the antiquarian book trade have expressed concern about the loss of historically significant volumes. Derek Walker of McNaughtan’s in Scotland recently sold the only known copy of an 18th century edition, noting it would be a significant problem if such a rare book were bought for destruction.
Las Vegas Review-Journal – Amazon AI Book Scanning | 404 Media Investigation
