The Download: AstroTurf wars and exponential AI growth

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Is fake grass a bad idea?

The AstroTurf wars are far from over.

In 2001, Americans installed just over 7 million square meters of synthetic turf.

By 2024, that number was 79 million square meters—enough to carpet all of Manhattan and then some.

The…