View source for .ai

{{short description|Country code top-level domain for Anguilla}}
{{About|the top-level domain|the .ai file format|Adobe Illustrator Artwork|other uses|Ai (disambiguation)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}{{Infobox Top level domain
| name = .ai
| image = DotAI logo.svg
| introduced = 16 February 1995
| type = [[Country code top-level domain]]
| status = Active
| registry = [[Identity Digital]]
| sponsor = [[Government of Anguilla]]
| intendeduse = Entities connected with [[Anguilla]]
| actualuse = Some use in Anguilla; very popular with companies and websites related to [[artificial intelligence]] (AI).
| restrictions = None
| structure = Registrations possible at third level, beneath several second-level labels, are available to anybody; second-level registrations are now available to anybody as well (as of 26 June 2006).
| document = 
| disputepolicy = [[Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy|UDRP]] 
| dnssec = Yes
| website = {{url|https://www.nic.ai/}}
|registereddomains=598,007
|dateregistereddomains=2 January 2025
|refregistereddomains=<ref>{{Cite web|title=FAQ / Terms and Conditions|url=http://whois.ai/faq.html|url-status=deviated|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114152217/http://whois.ai/faq.html|archive-date=2025-01-14|access-date=2025-06-15|website=whois.ai}}</ref>}}
{{Artificial intelligence}}

'''.ai''' is the [[Internet]] [[country code]] [[top-level domain]] ([[ccTLD]]) for [[Anguilla]], a [[British Overseas Territories|British Overseas Territory]] in the [[Caribbean]]. It is administered by the [[government of Anguilla]].

It is a popular [[domain hack]] with companies and projects related to the [[artificial intelligence]] industry (AI).<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Purnell |first1=Newley |last2=Olson |first2=Parmy |date=2019-08-14 |title=AI Startup Boom Raises Questions of Exaggerated Tech Savvy |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-startup-boom-raises-questions-of-exaggerated-tech-savvy-11565775004 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190814155021/https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-startup-boom-raises-questions-of-exaggerated-tech-savvy-11565775004 |archive-date=2019-08-14 |access-date=2020-01-27 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |via=www.wsj.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-06-12 |title=What's in a Name? Trends in Creating Robot and AI Company Names |url=https://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com/ai/whats-in-a-name-trends-in-creating-robot-and-ai-company-names/ |website=Robotics Business Review |access-date=2020-01-27 |archive-date=2023-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608073838/https://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com/ai/whats-in-a-name-trends-in-creating-robot-and-ai-company-names/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-a-tiny-island-is-still-a-domain-name-giant/|title=Why one tiny island is still a domain name giant|first=Liam|last=Tung|website=ZDNet}}</ref>

[[Google]]'s ad targeting treats .ai as a [[generic top-level domain]] (gTLD) because "users and website owners frequently see [the domain] as being more generic than country-targeted."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Managing multi-regional and multilingual sites |url=https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/182192 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005224021/https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/182192 |archive-date=2019-10-05 |access-date=2019-10-05}}</ref>

[[Identity Digital]] began managing the domain as of January 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allemann |first=Andrew |date=2025-01-23 |title=Identity Digital is now managing .AI domains. Here's what this means for registrants |url=https://domainnamewire.com/2025/01/23/identity-digital-is-now-managing-ai-domains-heres-what-this-means-for-registrants/ |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=Domain Name Wire |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Second and third level registrations ==
Registrations within '''off.ai''', '''com.ai''', '''net.ai''', and '''org.ai''' are available worldwide without restriction. From 15 September 2009, second level registrations within '''.ai''' are available to everyone worldwide.

==Registration==
The minimum registration term allowed for .ai [[Domain name|domains]] is 2 through 10 years for registration and renewal, and a 2-year renewal for domain transfer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=V |first=Sky |title=.AI Domain Policies |url=https://support.opensrs.com/support/solutions/articles/201000068801--ai-domain-policies |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=OpenSRS Customer Support |language=en}}</ref> [[Identity Digital]] is the authority in charge of managing this extension. Registrations began on 16 February 1995. The limits on the number of characters used for the domain name are, at a minimum, from 1 to 3, depending on the [[Domain name registrar|registrar]], and always at most 63 characters.{{efn|Examples:

* [[OpenSRS]]: 3–63 characters<ref>{{Cite web |title=OpenSRS TLD Reference Chart |url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13t4l-kO3qAio4RCF3j1lF0X2AxaIr_G5kFIqIF3LAZU/edit?gid=1203932299&usp=embed_facebook |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=Google Docs |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[GoDaddy]]: 1–63<ref name="godaddy">{{Cite web |title=GoDaddy - About .ai Domains |url=https://www.godaddy.com/help/about-ai-domains-32220 |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=www.godaddy.com |language=en}}</ref>
* EuroDNS: 2–63<ref>{{Cite web |title=.AI domain name registration |url=https://www.eurodns.com/domain-extensions/ai-domain-registration |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=EuroDNS}}</ref>
* TrueHost: 3–63<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mark |date=2024-07-15 |title=About .ai Domains - |url=https://www.truehost.com/support/about-ai-domains/ |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=Truehost|language=en-US}}</ref>}} The character set supported for .ai domain names includes A–Z, a–z, 0–9, and hyphen. As of November 2022, .ai domains cannot accommodate IDN characters.<ref name="godaddy"/> There are no requirements for registering a domain, including local and foreign residents.<ref>{{Cite web |last=V |first=Sky |title=.AI Domain Policies |url=https://support.opensrs.com/support/solutions/articles/201000068801--ai-domain-policies |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=OpenSRS Customer Support |language=en}}</ref>

A .ai domain can be suspended or revoked, if the domain is involved in illegal activity such as violating trademarks or copyrights. Usage must not violate the laws of Anguilla.<ref>{{cite news |title=.AI Domain |url=https://domaintyper.com/domain-names/top-level-domains/ccTLD/ai-domain |access-date=2021-10-15 |work=domaintyper.com}}</ref>

Anguilla uses the [[Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy|UDRP]]. Filing a UDRP challenge requires using one of the [[ICANN]] Approved Dispute Resolution Service Providers. If the domain is with an ICANN accredited registrar, they should work with the arbitrator. Usually this means either doing nothing or transferring a domain. .ai domains are transferable to any desired registrars as the registration of domain is done maintaining [[Extensible Provisioning Protocol|EPP]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Whois ai|url=http://whois.ai/eppfaq.html|url-status=deviated|access-date=2021-11-10|website=whois.ai|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308085824/http://whois.ai/eppfaq.html |archive-date=2024-03-08 }}</ref>

There used to be a whois.ai platform of expired .ai domains in which those could be procured and auctioned every ten days through a standard online process.<ref>{{Cite web |title=.ai Domain Closed Auctions|url=https://auction.whois.ai/auctions/index/closed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250608194846/https://auction.whois.ai/auctions/index/closed |archive-date=2025-06-08 |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=auction.whois.ai |language=en}}</ref> The last auctions of such kind closed there in December 2024; the platform is scheduled for shutdown on 30 June 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=.ai Domain Auctions Homepage|url=https://auction.whois.ai/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250608194830/https://auction.whois.ai/ |archive-date=2025-06-08 |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=auction.whois.ai |language=en}}</ref>

== Valuation ==
Domains cost US$180 for each two-to-ten-year period.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} As of December 2017, the ".ai" registry supports [[Extensible Provisioning Protocol]]. Consequently, many registrars are allowed to sell ".ai" domains. Since then, the .ai [[ccTLD]] has also been popular with [[artificial intelligence]] companies and organizations. Though such trends are primarily seen among new AI based companies or startups, many established AI and Tech companies preferred not to opt for .ai domains. For example, [[DeepMind]] has its domain retained at [[.com]]; [[Meta Platforms|Meta]] has redirected its facebook.ai domain to ai.meta.com.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chawla|first=Vishal|date=2020-03-08|title=Is .AI Domain Name Extension Any Valuable For AI Startups Or Just A Marketing Ploy?|url=https://analyticsindiamag.com/is-ai-domain-name-extension-any-valuable-for-ai-startups-or-just-a-marketing-ploy/|access-date=2021-11-10|website=Analytics India Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref>

As of November 2022, ''expert.ai'' is the most valued .ai domain that has been sold. The sell was brokered and mediated by [[Sedo]] in June 2020 and was finalized at €95,000 ({{USD|{{To USD|95000|ITA|year=2020|round=yes|cur=EUR}}|long=yes}}).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Why .AI domain name has become so popular?|url=https://www.nominus.com/en/dm/blog/domain-names/country-domains/october-2021/interest-in-ai-domains-skyrockets|access-date=2021-11-10|website=www.nominus.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-23|title=Expert.ai domain sells for record €95,000|url=https://domainnamewire.com/2020/06/23/expert-ai-domain-sells-for-record-e95000/|access-date=2021-11-10|website=Domain Name Wire {{!}} Domain Name News|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Impact on Anguilla's economy ==
The registration fees earned from the .ai domains go to the treasury of the Government of Anguilla. As per a 2018 ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' report, the total revenue generated out of selling .ai domains was $2.9 million.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lohr|first=Steve|date=2020-02-04|title=Tropical Breezes, Pristine Beaches and a Domain Name to Die For|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/business/custom-urls.html|access-date=2021-11-10|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lohr|first=Steve|title=Anguilla, with its domain name, cashes in on a quirky trend|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/travel-news/sns-nyt-anguilla-cashes-in-on-quirky-domain-name-20200204-i3q4fohoyre2hmhm2d52rszgqa-story.html|access-date=2021-11-10|website=chicagotribune.com|date=4 February 2020 }}</ref>

In 2023, Anguilla's government made about US$32 million from fees collected for registering .ai domains; that amounted to over 10% of [[gross domestic product]] for the territory.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Barry |title=The Tiny Caribbean Island That's Making A Fortune From AI |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2024/01/31/the-tiny-caribbean-island-thats-making-a-fortune-from-ai/ |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-03-24 |title=AI boom makes millions for unlikely industry player, Anguilla |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/business/ai-boom-makes-millions-for-unlikely-industry-player-anguilla |access-date=2024-03-25 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Internet in Anguilla]]
* [[Internet in the United Kingdom]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/ai.html IANA .ai whois information]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20241122142030/http://nic.com.ai/ old .ai NIC page]
* [https://zenaida.cate.ai/ .ai domain registration page]
* [http://whois.nic.ai/ .ai whois page]

{{UK top-level domains}}
{{CcTLD|state=collapsed}}
{{Anguilla}}
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[[Category:Communications in Anguilla]]
[[Category:Country code top-level domains]]
[[Category:Artificial intelligence]]

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