.AI Domain — Anguilla’s ccTLD & the World’s AI Extension
Originally assigned to the Caribbean island territory of Anguilla, the .AI domain has been transformed by the global artificial intelligence revolution into one of the most sought-after domain extensions in the world.
About Anguilla — The Territory Behind .AI
Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean Sea, part of the Leeward Islands. It lies approximately 8 km north of Saint Martin and consists of a main island ~26 km long plus several smaller cays. The capital is The Valley.
With a population of around 18,000–20,000 people, Anguilla’s economy relies on tourism and offshore finance. However, the licensing of the .AI domain has become a remarkably significant revenue source — generating tens of millions annually for the island’s government from registrations worldwide.
In 2023, Anguilla reportedly earned over $32 million from .AI domain fees alone — a transformative amount for a small island territory.
| Official Name | Anguilla |
| Status | British Overseas Territory |
| Capital | The Valley |
| Population | ~18,000 |
| Currency | Eastern Caribbean Dollar |
| Language | English |
| ISO 3166-1 | AI |
| ccTLD Delegated | 1995 |
| Registry | Government of Anguilla |
History of the .AI Domain
The .AI domain was first delegated by IANA in 1995 as part of the systematic assignment of ISO 3166-1 country codes to territories worldwide.
The AI Boom (2016–Present)
The transformation began around 2016–2017, coinciding with the explosion of interest in artificial intelligence following breakthroughs like AlphaGo. Companies quickly recognized that a .AI domain communicates what they do in a single word. This accelerated dramatically from 2022 following the ChatGPT launch, with thousands of AI tools adopting .AI domains.
- 1995: .AI delegated to Anguilla by IANA
- 2016: First major wave of AI companies adopting .AI
- 2022: ChatGPT triggers a massive surge in .AI registrations
- 2023: Registrations more than double YoY; Anguilla earns $32M+
- 2024: .AI becomes a top-10 most-registered extension by new regs globally
Why .AI Has Become the Dominant Tech Domain
A .AI domain immediately signals AI focus. Names like “agent.ai” need no further explanation.
No citizenship or residency requirement. Anyone worldwide can register a .AI domain.
A .AI domain is a credibility signal to investors and the tech ecosystem that a company is serious about AI.
At two characters, .AI is one of the shortest extensions available — highly memorable paired with a short brand name.
Notable Companies Using .AI Domains
- Anthropic — claude.ai (Claude AI assistant)
- Perplexity — perplexity.ai (AI search engine)
- Mistral — mistral.ai (large language models)
- Character.AI — character.ai (conversational AI)
- Copy.ai — copy.ai (AI copywriting)
- Jasper — jasper.ai (AI writing assistant)
- Data.ai — data.ai (formerly App Annie)
Registration Requirements & Eligibility
The .AI domain is open to anyone worldwide. No geographic restrictions, citizenship requirements, or local presence rules apply.
| Residency Required | No — worldwide open registration |
| Min. Length | 2 characters |
| Max. Length | 63 characters |
| Allowed Characters | a–z, 0–9, hyphens (no leading/trailing) |
| DNSSEC | Supported |
| WHOIS Privacy | Available through most registrars |
| Registration Period | 1–5 years (varies by registrar) |
| Transfer Lock | 60 days post-registration (ICANN standard) |
| Premium Domains | Yes — short names & keywords at premium pricing |
Where to Register a .AI Domain
The .AI domain is available through all major ICANN-accredited registrars. Prices change frequently — always check the current rate directly on each registrar’s website before purchasing.
Top .AI Domain Sales
The .AI extension has produced some of the most significant ccTLD aftermarket sales ever recorded. As AI became mainstream, premium .AI names traded for extraordinary sums.
| # | Domain | Sale Price | Year | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ai.ai | $1,500,000 | 2023 | Reported | One of the highest-value ccTLD sales ever recorded |
| 2 | chat.ai | $1,200,000 | 2023 | Reported | Acquired amid the generative AI boom post-ChatGPT |
| 3 | open.ai | $1,000,000+ | 2022 | Est. | Associated with OpenAI; redirects to openai.com |
| 4 | voice.ai | $185,000 | 2023 | Reported | Acquired by AI voice changer platform Voice.ai |
| 5 | search.ai | $175,000 | 2023 | Reported | High demand for AI search-related names |
| 6 | data.ai | $150,000 | 2022 | Reported | Data.ai (formerly App Annie) rebrand acquisition |
| 7 | agent.ai | $130,000 | 2024 | Reported | AI agents became a dominant tech category |
| 8 | code.ai | $120,000 | 2023 | Reported | AI coding assistants among most-funded AI categories |
| 9 | text.ai | $115,000 | 2023 | Reported | Text generation one of hottest AI use cases post-GPT-4 |
| 10 | build.ai | $105,000 | 2024 | Reported | AI developer tooling drove demand for action-word names |
| 11 | writer.ai | $95,000 | 2023 | Reported | AI writing tools were among earliest consumer AI products |
| 12 | auto.ai | $88,000 | 2024 | Reported | AI automation sector expanding rapidly |
Official Resources & Further Reading
Official IANA root zone entry for .AI including delegation history and registry contacts.
iana.org/domains/root/db/ai.html →Official website of the Government of Anguilla, the administrative authority for the .AI ccTLD.
gov.ai →Look up registration details and nameserver info for any .AI domain.
iana.org/whois →ICANN oversees global DNS policy. UDRP governs trademark disputes for .AI domains.
icann.org →Frequently Asked Questions
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