Have you heard of Anguilla? It’s a British Overseas Territory and a charming one at that, situated in the Caribbean and offering various resorts for holidaymakers to book into.
However, it is also the happy owner of the .ai top level domain. In today’s world, where artificial intelligence is developing apace, that has turned into a rather interesting point to note.
Until a recent announcement came to light, Anguilla relied on a small local company to manage the .ai domains. It looks as if Anguilla has come to an agreement with a far bigger company called Identity Digital, to ensure they will now run the .ai TLD. Comparing the local company, apparently known as DataHaven.net, with Identity Digital is a little like comparing David with Goliath. However, in this case, Goliath has won out. If you visit DataHaven.net, don’t expect too much – and don’t expect a secure website either, much less anything remotely modern.
So, where might this lead in future?
The path of AI is continuing through new territory even as you read this. The last year or two has seen the progress of AI reaching into many new areas. Many people will have seen it creeping into their workplace, for good or for bad. It makes sense, then, that many more people will want to get the .ai domain for their website, or to buy new .ai domains as needed.
It was perhaps only a matter of time before the small local business managing Anguilla’s .ai domains would be set aside for a major company able to handle the burgeoning marketplace. According to Identity Digital, Anguilla currently attributes around 20% of its revenues to its ownership of the TLD. It is hoping this will increase given the partnership forged between the country and the company.
Anguilla has already been able to take advantage of its ownership of the TLD, and given the explosion in AI, this seems set to continue. Identity Digital won a tender process with a closed bid. The company is certainly well enough established to handle the ongoing development of the .ai market. The Government of Anguilla look set to receive the lion’s share of the revenue gained from the deal, with no further details of the agreement beyond that.
So, what could this mean for Anguilla in future?
It’s hard to tell where .ai will take us. It feels as if there are new developments almost daily. Not everyone is convinced that AI is the future, but it does seem as if it is here to stay. The Anguillan government will no doubt be happy about that. They look set to be a guaranteed winner, thanks to a quirk of fate that ensures they are the owners of the .ai TLD.
Of course, it’s not all great news – phishing attacks are known to be prevalent on .ai domains, and that’s something that needs to be reined in by Identity Digital as it settles into this new agreement. We’ll be watching to see what happens.