The island of Anguilla, home to about 15,000 people, has found an unexpected resource in the rising popularity of artificial intelligence. In the late 1980s, the island was assigned the domain .ai by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Vince Cate, a software developer, manages the domain registrations for the Anguillan government and has seen a surge in interest since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. The sales of .ai domains have increased almost fourfold, making up about a third of the government’s budget. Unlike other countries that have leased their domains to foreign companies, Anguilla is managing the registrations locally, allowing the government to reap most of the financial benefits. The revenue from .ai registrations, amounting to about $3 million per month, has allowed the government to pay off debt and eliminate property taxes on residential buildings.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/ai-domains