Skip to content
Industry · Aug 18, 2026

Rare book shipment tracked to Amazon AI training facility in Las Vegas

404 Media investigation used an AirTag to trace a 1,000-book order to Amazon’s VGT3 facility, where workers reported destructive scanning of large volumes of books.

Trust79
HypeLow hype

2 sources · cross-referenced

ShareXLinkedInEmail
TL;DR
  • An investigation by 404 Media used an Apple AirTag to trace a shipment of roughly 1,000 rare books to Amazon’s VGT3 facility in Las Vegas.
  • Amazon workers in online forums confirmed that the VGT3 section of the facility destructively scans large volumes of books.
  • The report follows prior coverage of AI companies purchasing large quantities of books for potential training data, including Anthropic’s book scanning activities in mid-2025.

A 404 Media investigation used an Apple AirTag to trace a shipment of approximately 1,000 rare books to Amazon’s VGT3 facility in Las Vegas. The bookseller involved received a large order via the Biblio marketplace and agreed to place the AirTag in one of the books to track its destination.

The tracked book arrived at the VGT3 section of Amazon’s LAS8 facility in northeast Las Vegas, where an entrance sign featured a logo of a red tyrannosaurus with a book, a visual metaphor for destructive scanning.

Online forum discussions among Amazon workers reportedly confirmed that the VGT3 facility is involved in destructively scanning large volumes of books.

The investigation follows prior reporting on AI companies purchasing large quantities of books for potential training data, including Anthropic’s book scanning activities documented by the same outlet in June 2025.

Sources
  1. 01Simon Willison — everythingWe Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
  2. 02404 MediaWe Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
Also on Industry

Stories may contain errors. Dispatch is assembled with AI assistance and curated by human editors; despite the trust-score filter, mistakes happen. We correct publicly — every article links to its revision history. Nothing here is financial, legal, or medical advice. Verify before relying on any claim.

© 2026 Dispatch. No ads. No sponsorships. No paid placement. Reader-supported via Ko-fi.

Built by a person who cares about honest AI news.