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

The Madras High Court has ordered an anti-corruption investigation into allegations that a newly opened public library in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, bought hundreds of books suspected of being AI-generated, and has frozen bank accounts linked to a publisher accused of supplying them. Novelist Perumal Murugan raised concerns about false information and questionable authorship in nearly 1,800 books in the Periyar Arivulagam library's Tamil section, and more than 160 writers, researchers, artists and publishers have signed a joint statement calling for an independent inquiry. The state government has ordered an internal audit and removed 523 books from Chennai's Connemara Public Library, while the DMK denies blame and calls the allegations politically motivated.