The government of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory, has entered into a partnership with Identity Digital, a domain name registration company, to oversee the registration of the .ai country-level domain. This collaboration comes as a response to the increasing demand for .ai domain registrations, which have quadrupled in the last five years, largely driven by the surge in artificial intelligence-related activities.

Prominent companies like OpenAI and Anthropic’s Claude have contributed to the growth of .ai domain usage. Notably, the government of Anguilla itself utilizes the gov.ai domain. The revenue generated from these registrations has become a significant income stream for the Anguillan government, with the International Monetary Fund reporting that in 2023 alone, .ai registrations brought in over US$32 million, representing more than 20% of the government’s annual revenue.

Identity Digital, known for managing domains such as .org, .au, and .pr, will now support Anguilla in maintaining the stability, security, and global visibility of the .ai domain. This move aims to ensure that the domain is managed responsibly and remains a vital asset for the island nation.

In a related development, the British government recently transferred sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, previously known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, to the Mauritian government. The Chagos Islands’ country code top-level domain, .io, has been popular among tech companies and startups. However, due to the International Standardisation Organisation’s decision to eliminate the IO country code, registrations for .io domains will eventually cease, leading to the retirement of existing .io domains, although a specific timeline for this process has not been provided yet.

The collaboration between Anguilla and Identity Digital signifies a strategic move to capitalize on the growing demand for .ai domains and underscores the importance of effective domain management in an increasingly digital world. As technology continues to advance, the partnership aims to ensure that Anguilla remains at the forefront of domain registration services, catering to the evolving needs of businesses and organizations leveraging the .ai domain for various applications.