Oxford Lets OpenAI Train AI on Bodleian Library Texts

The University of Oxford has allowed OpenAI to digitise historical texts from its Bodleian Library for AI training, according to internal documents. The March 2025 partnership, initially framed as improving access, has raised staff concerns over reputational and environmental risks. By June 2025, 125,000 images, including rare 16th-century ballads, had been shared with OpenAI.