.agent, .agi, .intelligence: OpenAI, Meta leading rush for AI-focused domains
What's the story
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is now accepting applications for new top-level domains (TLDs) for the first time in years. These TLDs are the suffixes at the end of URLs, such as .com, .org, and .pizza. So far, ICANN has received 1,615 applications from 481 different applicants. And guess what? Artificial Intelligence (AI)-related domains are all the rage!
AI surge
Multiple applications for the same TLDs
A total of 10 companies, including Meta and OpenAI, have applied for the .agent domain.
The .agi domain also attracted interest from seven firms, including OpenAI.
Six companies, including OpenAI again, applied for the .asi domain in a bid to capitalize on President Donald Trump's call to replace "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence."
Four companies applied for .intelligence domain, while Meta is among two seeking unusually long .superintelligence.
OpenAI applied for 15 TLDs in total, while Meta applied for 21.
Domain diversity
Generic and branded domains
The current batch of applications features two broad types of domains: generic and branded.
Generic domains are those that many people or companies might use, like .geek, .haha, .anime, and .jackpot.
On the other hand, branded domains are specifically for a company to use for its own purposes.
There are 345 brand applications in this batch alone, including everything from .applebees and .bankofamerica to .zillow and .zoom.
Brand ownership
Meta, Bluesky, OpenAI, Anthropic vying for their own TLDs
Some big names have applied for their own TLDs.
Meta applied for .facebook, .instagram, .messenger, .meta, .frommeta, and .threads.
Bluesky applied for .bsky; OpenAI applied for .chatgpt, .codex, .openai, .gpt, and more.
Anthropic wants its own domain with just its name: .anthropic and .claude.
These strings could ultimately make memorable product pages or social media usernames.
Domain evolution
The journey to create a new top-level domain is long
The journey to create a new top-level domain is long and tedious, with nothing being made official until sometime next year.
However, the current rush for these alternate TLDs shows that even in an AI-dominated world, catchy domain names still hold significant value.
This trend is especially evident among tech companies who are willing to go the extra mile for their own unique web addresses.