Good morning. Canadian used booksellers say mysterious bulk orders are raising concerns that old books are being bought and destroyed to train AI — more below on why. Plus, the Blue Jays are keeping their playoff hopes alive despite a losing record, and Olivia Rodrigo's inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival raised $20 million US for women's causes. But first, the Liberals swept three byelections last night, and picked up a seat from the Conservatives in Quebec.
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(Darryl Dyck; Sammy Kogan; Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)
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Liberals win 3 federal byelections in Ontario, Quebec and B.C.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals won three seats last night in byelections in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.
What's happening: Tanveer Shahnawaz won in the Toronto riding of Beaches–East York, while in B.C., Braeden Caley took North Vancouver–Capilano. Both seats were considered safe Liberal ridings.
The big win for the Liberals was in Quebec's Chicoutimi–Le Fjord, where Daniel Gobeil replaces Conservative Richard Martel, who stepped aside after being appointed to the Senate.
Why it matters: The races were a crucial test for the Carney government in the midst of a renewed trade war with the U.S. The wins also mean the Liberals will keep their majority government. Six other byelections are expected in the coming months.
– This section compiled by Jane Armstrong |
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FEATURED STORIES
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(Stéphane Ouzounoff/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images)
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Used booksellers suspect bulk orders are feeding AI training
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Canadian used booksellers say mysterious bulk purchases of obscure and outdated titles are raising concerns that physical books are being bought for AI training — and potentially destroyed after being scanned.
What's happening: Booksellers in Toronto and Vancouver say they've received unusual large orders for unrelated titles, including old medical, math and physics books that had sat unsold for years. The concern follows revelations that AI company Anthropic bought and destructively scanned physical books to train its models. None of the buyers cited by Canadian sellers has confirmed that their purchases were destined for AI training.
Why it matters: Older books are valuable to AI companies partly because they are guaranteed to contain human-written text from before the generative AI boom. But some booksellers say they're uncomfortable selling books if they may ultimately be destroyed, even as bulk orders offer a welcome source of revenue in a difficult industry.
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Blue Jays keep playoff hopes alive despite losing record
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The Toronto Blue Jays enter September still within reach of an American League wild-card spot after a strong August kept their unlikely playoff push alive.
What's happening: Toronto went 17-11 in August to improve to 68-70 for the season and remain among several teams chasing Cleveland for the final AL wild-card spot. A three-game series against the Guardians beginning Tuesday gives the Jays a chance to gain ground directly, even as injuries have thinned their pitching rotation and the team continues to struggle for offence.
Why it matters: Toronto has held a losing record for much of the year, but no rival has managed to pull away in the wild-card race. Strong pitching from Dylan Cease, José Soriano and Max Scherzer, along with a recent uptick in home runs, could keep the Jays in contention through September.
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