New Indian mega library rocked by scandal over 'AI-generated books'

An Indian court has ordered an investigation into allegations that a public library in the southern state of Tamil Nadu bought hundreds of books suspected of being generated using AI.

The controversy began after Tamil novelist Perumal Murugan raised concerns about books containing false information and questionable authorship at a newly opened library in Coimbatore city.

The Madras High Court has ordered the state's anti-corruption agency to investigate the purchases and freeze bank accounts linked to a publisher accused of supplying the books.

The state government has blamed the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party-led administration for buying the books. The DMK denies allegations.

Tamil Nadu's School Education Minister A Rajmohan has described the allegations as potentially "India's first AI scam" and said the investigation would cover purchases at other public libraries across the state.

The case has raised wider questions about the growing use of AI in publishing, where tools can generate entire books quickly and cheaply, but also produce false information and invented references.

It has also highlighted the challenges facing libraries and publishers in checking the authenticity of books as AI-generated content becomes more widespread.

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