Civil society groups push ftc to investigate AI companies for destroying books

More than a dozen civil society groups have urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate AI companies for their practice of buying, scanning, and destroying books to train artificial intelligence systems. The letter, first shared with Axios, highlights concerns that this activity constitutes an unfair method of competition. The groups argue that such actions are 'starving the market' of critical source materials and represent an escalation in a documented pattern of anticompetitive behavior by dominant AI firms. They call on the FTC to examine whether this practice creates an insurmountable systemic advantage for existing players in the industry. The groups emphasize that the FTC should view this conduct not in isolation but as part of a broader strategy to consolidate power within the AI sector. The FTC, under the Trump administration, has maintained a careful balance between supporting American business and expressing concerns about competition and Big Tech dominance. The potential shift in focus from copyright issues to competition law could mark a significant development in the ongoing debate over AI training data practices.