How tiny Caribbean island earning millions from .ai domain amid AI boom

The tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla is generating millions of dollars in revenue from its country-code top-level domain, addressed as ".ai", due to the global boom in artificial intelligence.

The island, which has a population of just 16,000, was assigned the .ai domain in the 1980s, reports BBC.

With the recent surge in interest in Artificial Intelligence, companies and individuals are paying large sums to register websites with the .ai tag.

For instance, US tech boss Dharmesh Shah reportedly spent $700,000 on the address you.ai.

According to a draft 2025 budget document from the Anguillian government, the island earned 105.5 million East Caribbean dollars ($39 million) from selling domain names in 2024, which accounted for almost a quarter of its total revenue.

The government expects this income to increase to 132 million Eastern Caribbean dollars this year, according to the BBC.

This revenue stream is helping Anguilla diversify its economy, which has traditionally been heavily reliant on tourism and is vulnerable to hurricanes.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted this diversification in a recent report, highlighting how the .ai income is making the island more resilient to financial damage from natural disasters.

To manage the growing income, Anguilla has signed a five-year deal with a US tech firm, Identity Digital, which has moved the .ai domains to its global server network to ensure they are not disrupted by future hurricanes.