Anguilla, a 16-mile long island in the Caribbean, has assured its residents that U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to rename AI to 'Super Intelligence' will not affect its economy. Anguilla owns the .ai domain and has seen a significant portion of its revenue from .ai website registrations since the AI boom began.
Concerns and Assurances
Trump's attempt to rename AI to 'Super Intelligence' had raised concerns about potential harm to the island's revenue. However, José Vanterpool, Anguilla's technology minister, stated in a government press conference that the island will not experience a decline in demand for .ai domains in the long term, and sales have even increased since Trump's announcement. He said, 'I want to assure the public that at this stage, there is no reason to believe that this announcement poses an immediate threat to Anguilla's .ai domain industry.'
Revenue Growth and Predictions
In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, Trump called for the renaming of AI. Following that, on September 29, he signed an executive order to rename AI to 'Super Intelligence'. This renaming appears to have led to an increase in demand for .si websites. Registrations for .si domains (which belong to Slovenia) reached 44,000 in September, compared to just 2,000 in August.
Vanterpool also mentioned that businesses using .ai domains are unlikely to change based on Trump's statements. He added, 'We have not seen this announcement lead to any significant change in revenues from .ai domain sales. In fact, sales in September have increased compared to August sales.'
The island's Prime Minister, Kora Richardson-Hodge, alongside Vanterpool, stated that domain registration revenues have reached $244 million Eastern Caribbean (equivalent to $90 million USD) for the year, accounting for 91% of the projected revenue for the year. These revenues are crucial as the primary basis for a national wealth fund aimed at the long-term stability of the island and addressing natural disasters such as storms.
On October 8, Trump intensified his statements with a post on the Truth Social network, declaring, 'The White House considers anyone who uses the term 'AI' instead of the new and more accurate term 'Super Intelligence' to be an enemy!' This did not go unnoticed in Anguilla. Vanterpool said, 'I want to assure the people of Anguilla that there is no reason for unnecessary concern.'
He also added that the island expects to double its revenues by 2027 with the expansion of .ai domains to 32 international domain names, including languages that do not use the Roman alphabet.
