{"id":6167,"date":"2026-04-09T13:29:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=6167"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:29:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:29:05","slug":"the-download-astroturf-wars-and-exponential-ai-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=6167","title":{"rendered":"The Download: AstroTurf wars and exponential AI growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

This is today’s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Is fake grass a bad idea? The AstroTurf wars are far from over.<\/strong> <\/h3>\n

In 2001, Americans installed just over 7 million square meters of synthetic turf. By 2024, that number was 79 million square meters\u2014enough to carpet all of Manhattan and then some. The increase worries folks who study microplastics and environmental pollution.  <\/p>\n

While the plastic-making industry insists that synthetic fields are safe if properly installed, lots of researchers think that isn\u2019t so. Find out why AstroTurf has ignited heated debates.<\/p>\n

\u2014Douglas Main<\/em> <\/p>\n

This\u00a0story\u00a0is\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0next\u00a0issue\u00a0of\u00a0our\u00a0print\u00a0magazine,\u00a0packed\u00a0with\u00a0stories\u00a0all\u00a0about\u00a0nature.\u00a0<\/strong>Subscribe now<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0read\u00a0the\u00a0full\u00a0thing\u00a0when\u00a0it\u00a0lands\u00a0on\u00a0Wednesday, April 22.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mustafa Suleyman: AI development won’t hit a development wall anytime soon\u2014here’s why<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

\u2014Mustafa\u00a0Suleyman, Microsoft AI CEO and\u00a0Google\u00a0DeepMind<\/em><\/em> co-founder<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The skeptics keep predicting that AI compute will soon hit a wall\u2014and keep getting proven wrong. To understand why that is, you need to look at the forces driving the AI explosion.  <\/p>\n

Three\u00a0advances\u00a0are\u00a0enabling\u00a0exponential\u00a0progress:\u00a0faster\u00a0basic\u00a0calculators,\u00a0high-bandwidth\u00a0memory, and\u00a0technologies\u00a0that\u00a0turn\u00a0disparate\u00a0GPUs\u00a0into\u00a0enormous\u00a0supercomputers.\u00a0Where\u00a0does\u00a0all\u00a0this\u00a0get\u00a0us?\u00a0Read the full op-ed on the future of AI development to learn more.\u00a0
\u00a0<\/p>\n

Desalination technology, by the numbers<\/strong> <\/h3>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em> <\/p>\n

When I started digging into desalination technology for a new story, I couldn\u2019t help but obsess over the numbers. <\/p>\n

I knew\u00a0on some level that desalination\u2014pulling salt out of seawater to produce fresh water\u2014was an increasingly important technology, especially in water-stressed regions including the Middle East. But just how much some countries rely on desalination, and how big a business it is, still surprised me.<\/p>\n

Here are the extraordinary numbers behind the crucial water source.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This <\/strong>story<\/strong> is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter on the tech that could combat the climate crisis. <\/strong>Sign up<\/strong> to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

The\u00a0must-reads\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em> <\/p>\n

1 Meta has launched the first AI model from its Superintelligence Labs
<\/strong>Muse\u00a0Spark\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0company\u2019s\u00a0first\u00a0model\u00a0in a\u00a0year. (Reuters\u00a0$)\u00a0
+\u00a0The\u00a0closed\u00a0model\u00a0brings\u00a0reasoning\u00a0capabilities\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0Meta AI\u00a0app.<\/em>\u00a0(Engadget)\u00a0
+\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0built\u00a0by\u00a0Meta\u2019s\u00a0Superintelligence\u00a0Labs,\u00a0the\u00a0unit\u00a0led\u00a0by\u00a0Alexandr Wang.<\/em>\u00a0(TechCrunch)\u00a0<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Anthropic\u00a0has\u00a0lost\u00a0a\u00a0bid\u00a0to\u00a0pause\u00a0the\u00a0Pentagon\u2019s\u00a0blacklisting<\/strong>\u00a0
An appeals\u00a0court\u00a0in Washington, DC\u00a0denied\u00a0the\u00a0request. (CNBC)\u00a0
+ A California\u00a0judge\u00a0had\u00a0temporarily\u00a0blocked\u00a0the\u00a0blacklisting\u00a0in March. (<\/em>NPR)\u00a0
+\u00a0The\u00a0mixed\u00a0rulings\u00a0leave\u00a0Anthropic\u00a0in a legal limbo.<\/em>\u00a0(Wired $)\u00a0
+ And open\u00a0doors\u00a0for\u00a0smaller\u00a0AI\u00a0rivals.\u00a0<\/em>(Reuters\u00a0$)\u00a0<\/p>\n

3 New\u00a0evidence\u00a0suggests\u00a0Adam Back\u00a0invented\u00a0Bitcoin<\/strong>\u00a0
The British\u00a0cryptographer\u00a0may\u00a0be\u00a0the\u00a0real Satoshi Nakamoto. (NYT\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ Back\u00a0denies\u00a0the\u00a0claims.<\/em>\u00a0(BBC)\u00a0
+\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0a\u00a0dark\u00a0side\u00a0to\u00a0crypto\u2019s\u00a0permissionless\u00a0dream.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review)\u00a0<\/p>\n

4\u00a0Gen\u00a0Z\u00a0is\u00a0cooling\u00a0on\u00a0AI<\/strong>\u00a0
The\u00a0share\u00a0feeling\u00a0angry\u00a0about\u00a0it\u00a0has\u00a0risen\u00a0from\u00a022%\u00a0to\u00a031% in a\u00a0year. (Axios)\u00a0
+ Anti-AI\u00a0protests\u00a0are\u00a0also\u00a0growing.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review)\u00a0<\/p>\n

5\u00a0War\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0Gulf\u00a0could\u00a0tilt\u00a0the\u00a0cloud\u00a0race\u00a0toward\u00a0China<\/strong>\u00a0
Huawei\u00a0is\u00a0pitching\u00a0\u201cmulti-cloud\u201d\u00a0resilience\u00a0to\u00a0Gulf\u00a0clients. (Rest of World)\u00a0<\/p>\n

6 Meta has\u00a0killed\u00a0a\u00a0leaderboard\u00a0of\u00a0its\u00a0AI token\u00a0users<\/strong>\u00a0
It\u00a0showed\u00a0the\u00a0top 250\u00a0users. (The Information\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ Meta\u00a0blamed\u00a0data\u00a0leaks\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0shutdown.<\/em>\u00a0(Fortune)\u00a0
+\u00a0It\u00a0encouraged\u00a0\u201ctokenmaxxing,\u201d a\u00a0growing\u00a0phenomenon\u00a0in Big\u00a0Tech.<\/em>\u00a0(NYT\u00a0$)\u00a0<\/p>\n

7\u00a0Did\u00a0Artemis II\u00a0really\u00a0tell\u00a0us\u00a0anything\u00a0new\u00a0about\u00a0space?<\/strong>\u00a0
Or\u00a0was\u00a0it\u00a0primarily\u00a0a PR\u00a0exercise? (Ars Technica)\u00a0<\/p>\n

8\u00a0Israeli\u00a0attacks\u00a0have\u00a0brutally\u00a0exposed\u00a0Lebanon\u2019s\u00a0digital\u00a0infrastructure<\/strong>\u00a0
It\u2019s\u00a0managing\u00a0a\u00a0modern\u00a0crisis\u00a0without\u00a0modern\u00a0technology. (Wired\u00a0$)\u00a0<\/p>\n

9 AI\u00a0models\u00a0could\u00a0offer\u00a0mathematicians\u00a0a\u00a0common\u00a0language<\/strong>\u00a0
They\u00a0hope\u00a0it\u00a0will\u00a0simplify\u00a0the\u00a0process\u00a0of\u00a0verifying\u00a0proofs. (Economist)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

10 A \u201cself-doxing’ rave is helping trans people stay safe online<\/strong> 
It\u2019s among a series of digital self-defenses. (404 Media) <\/p>\n

Quote\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0day\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u00a0feel\u00a0like\u00a0anything\u00a0that\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0interested\u00a0in has\u00a0the\u00a0potential\u00a0of\u00a0maybe\u00a0getting\u00a0replaced,\u00a0even\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0next\u00a0few\u00a0years.\u201d\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u2014Sydney Gill, a freshman at Rice University, tells the New York Times why she\u2019s soured on AI. <\/p>\n

One\u00a0More\u00a0Thing\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"""\"
A view inside ATLAS,
one of two general-purpose detectors at the Large Hadron Collider.<\/figcaption>
MAXIMILIEN BRICE\/CERN<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Inside the hunt for new physics at the world\u2019s largest particle collider<\/strong> <\/h4>\n

In 2012, data from CERN\u2019s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) unearthed a particle called the Higgs boson. The discovery answered a nagging question: where do fundamental particles, such as the ones that make up all the protons and neutrons in our bodies, get their mass? <\/p>\n

But now particle physicists have reached an impasse in their quest to discover, produce, and study new particles at colliders. Find out what they\u2019re trying to do about it.<\/p>\n

\u2014Dan Garisto<\/em> <\/p>\n

We\u00a0can\u00a0still\u00a0have\u00a0nice\u00a0things\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em>.)<\/em> <\/p>\n

+\u00a0Enjoy\u00a0this\u00a0tale\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0\u201cjoke\u201d\u00a0sound\u00a0that\u00a0accidentally\u00a0defined 90s rave culture.\u00a0
+\u00a0Take a nostalgic trip\u00a0through\u00a0the\u00a0websites\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0early\u00a000s.\u00a0
+\u00a0One\u00a0for\u00a0animal\u00a0lovers:\u00a0sperm whales\u00a0have\u00a0teamed\u00a0up\u00a0to\u00a0support\u00a0a\u00a0newborn.\u00a0
+\u00a0Here\u2019s\u00a0a\u00a0long\u00a0overdue\u00a0answer\u00a0to\u00a0a vital\u00a0question: can the world’s largest mousetrap\u00a0catch a limousine?\u00a0<\/p>\n

#Download #AstroTurf #wars #exponential #growth<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[5882,803,5886,2894,5885,1746],"class_list":["post-6167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-astroturf","tag-download","tag-exponential","tag-growth","tag-the-download-astroturf-wars-and-exponential-ai-growth","tag-wars"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AdobeStock_716372037.jpg",1200,600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AdobeStock_716372037-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AdobeStock_716372037-300x150.jpg",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AdobeStock_716372037-768x384.jpg",640,320,true],"large":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AdobeStock_716372037-1024x512.jpg",640,320,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AdobeStock_716372037.jpg",1200,600,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AdobeStock_716372037.jpg",1200,600,false],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AdobeStock_716372037-1024x512.jpg",1024,512,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AdobeStock_716372037-540x340.jpg",540,340,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?author=1"},"category_info":"Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}