Anguilla is Making Bank on its .ai Domain Name

It started with luck. And luck has turned into cash. 

Back in 1996, the tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla – with a population of 16,000 — was awarded .ai as its country domain name. 

The then-residents of Anguilla could scarcely predict that the rise of ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Gemini almost three decades later would turn .ai into one of the world’s most desirable domains.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Anguilla is cashing in. In 2024, the country earned nearly $55 million from domain name sales to tech companies. Proceeds from domain sales are now the island’s second greatest source of income after tourism, and residents are enjoying lower taxes and renewed investment in infrastructure as a result.

However, the story of Anguilla and AI doesn’t end there. The island’s government has big plans: to parlay the fortuitous connection between Anguilla and Artificial Intelligence into something greater.

The Honourable Minister of Infrastructure Jose Vanterpool says the government is positioning the island as the AI and Tech Capital of the Caribbean.

Vanterpool, a computer science graduate of the University of Bristol, understands the potential of artificial intelligence — and what it might mean for his home — very well. 

The wheels are now in motion to create data centres, attract leaders from OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft for AI conferences, and to train an entire AI-native populace. In the latter case, Anguilla’s small size is a distinct competitive advantage.  

The story of Anguilla and Artificial Intelligence is a fascinating one, and it is just starting to unfold.