BREAKING: Google has been negotiating with major South Korean publishers to buy books for AI training since early 2026, with some contracts reportedly already completed, according to Seoul Economic Daily. Academic publishers are reportedly involved, but the buyers' terms and prices remain undisclosed. Unlike Anthropic's earlier purchases through a Korean distributor, Google is approaching publishers directly. Authors may still have no say in how their works are used, while bills requiring disclosure of AI training sources remain stalled in parliament. Publishers fear Anthropic's $3,000-per-book piracy settlement could become the benchmark for AI licensing, despite being damages rather than licensing fees. One Korean AI developer told the paper it cannot afford Korean literary works and is training mainly on government data instead.