EmbeddingGemma 2: an open, lightweight multimodal embedding model
deepmind.google·6d ago
AI Engineering
Hacker News·Aug 17·5 min read
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
TL;DR
Amazon is acquiring and destroying rare books to create training data for AI, as revealed by a tracking investigation. This practice raises ethical concerns about the preservation of cultural materials.
✦ Why It Matters
Consider advocating for ethical sourcing of training data in AI development.
Key Takeaways
- Monitor AI companies' book purchasing patterns for ethical implications.
- Engage in discussions about the value of printed literature.
- Explore alternative data sources for AI training that preserve original works.
- Support initiatives that protect intellectual property rights in the digital age.
How It Works
Amazon's VGT3 warehouse operates by receiving large shipments of books, cutting their spines to facilitate faster scanning, and then digitizing the content for AI training. This method allows for efficient data collection while raising concerns about the destruction of physical copies.