I had a question I was going to post but just asked google and got an answer.
AI Overview
Yes, AI can "read" a paper book, but it requires human intervention to digitize the book first. Once digitized, AI can process the text to provide summaries, answer questions, and even create study guides. Some AI tools can also read the text aloud using text-to-speech technology.
I've successfully sent images to ChatGPT with text embedded, and ChatGPT had no problem reading it. AI requires human intervention to send the book's pages to the AI tool you're using, at least for now. Within several years, no human intervention should be necessary. Robots can already perform surgery successfully, so they should be able to take on this task as well.
Here is a demonstration of what I'm talking about. I just snipped a section of a blog post from Tony Ortega's Underground Bunker. This is the text I copied:
Since October 2023, Valerie Haney has been subjected to days and days of Scientology’s dubious “religious arbitration,” with no end in sight.
She sued Scientology in June 2019 over the way she was treated as a Sea Org worker, and for the “Fair Game” harassment she endured after leaving the organization.
But because she had signed an exit agreement when she left Scientology that included an arbitration clause, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that she had no right to sue and would have to submit her claims to Scientology’s own brand of internal arbitration.
In the years we’ve been writing about this story, we repeatedly hear from observers — and even lawyers — who are stunned that during these sessions Scientology gets to set all the rules, including that Valerie cannot bring an attorney with her, or record the session on her smartphone, or even have a transcript made.
Her ordeal began on October 16, 2023, when she sat for three days of arbitration at Scientology’s printing plant in the City of Commerce. We wrote about those three days for the Daily Beast, as Valerie and her legal team recorded statements from her at the end of each day in our presence.
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I then took a picture of the text, turning it into an image file (JPG). I uploaded the image to ChatGPT and asked:
"What is this about in the image file?"
It took ChatGPT 10 or 15 seconds to output this:
This image is an excerpt from an article about
Valerie Haney’s ongoing legal ordeal with the Church of Scientology.
Here’s a summary of what it describes:
Context
Valerie Haney, a former Sea Org member and aide to Scientology leader David Miscavige, sued the Church of Scientology in
June 2019. Her lawsuit centered on her
treatment while in the Sea Org and the
“Fair Game” harassment she says she endured after leaving the organization.
Forced Religious Arbitration
Because Haney had signed an
exit agreement that included an
arbitration clause, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that she could not take her case to civil court. Instead, she was forced into
Scientology’s internal “religious arbitration” — a process that critics say is highly biased and designed to protect the organization rather than provide justice.
The passage notes that:
- The arbitration began in October 2023 and has dragged on for months.
- Scientology controls all the rules of the process:
Haney cannot have an attorney present, cannot record sessions, and no transcripts are permitted.
- This system leaves her with virtually no external accountability or transparency.
Media Coverage
The text references that Haney’s ordeal — including three initial days of arbitration starting
October 16, 2023, held at Scientology’s printing plant in the
City of Commerce — was covered in a
Daily Beast article. The reporters followed her progress and documented her statements at the end of each arbitration day.
In short, this image highlights
how Scientology uses “religious arbitration” to block ex-members’ lawsuits, forcing them into secretive proceedings run entirely by the Church — a major point of public and legal controversy.