Fuck AI

Let's be clear, I'm not going to argue against the worth of physical books. I love books, use my local library a lot, and don't own an e-reader. I'm only disputing the assertion that the need for reading devices means digital books are gatekept. e-readers and the like are widespread, reasonably affordable, and likely to become more so. Digital books are also accessible by other (not so ideal for reading) devices, which are even more ubiquitous.
It's like saying that physical books are gatekept by the need for a reading light.

Gatekeeping implies some exclusive access which is not generally available. Book knowledge was gatekept before the existence of public libraries, even more so before the printing press. Even now the accessiblility of physical books and libraries depends a lot on where you live. Digital information, by contrast, has become broadly available extremely quickly and will remain so.