The government of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory, has recently entered into a partnership with Identity Digital, a domain registration company, to oversee the management of the country’s .ai domain. The .ai domain has experienced a significant surge in registrations, quadrupling in the last five years, attributed to the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence technologies.

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

Identity Digital, the chosen partner, is recognized for its management of other domain registries such as Australia’s .au and Puerto Rico’s .pr, in addition to the not-for-profit .org domain. Anguilla’s Premier, Ellis Webster, emphasized the importance of ensuring the stability, security, and global prominence of the .ai domain through this collaboration.

In a related development, the British government recently transferred sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, formerly known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, which utilized the .io country code top-level domain (ccTLD). The .io domain has been popular among tech companies like Github and startups. However, due to the impending removal of the IO country code by the International Standardisation Organisation, registrations in .io are expected to cease, leading to the eventual retirement of existing .io domains, although a specific timeline has not been provided yet.

This strategic partnership between Anguilla and Identity Digital signifies a significant step towards enhancing the management and reputation of the .ai domain, reflecting the territory’s commitment to leveraging its digital assets for economic growth and global recognition.