Anguilla, a small British territory famous for its beautiful beaches and coral reefs, is unexpectedly benefiting from the global AI boom—and it all comes down to the “.ai” web address. Most countries have their own internet domain—like “.us” for the United States and “.uk” for the United Kingdom. But with the growing interest in AI, Anguilla’s “.ai” domain has suddenly become very valuable. Companies and individuals are now spending large amounts of money to secure websites with this popular extension.
Anguilla is earning a huge amount of money from its “.ai” domain names. As of January 2, 2026, the number of “.ai” domains surpassed 1 million, per data from Domain Name Stat.
The country charges about $140 to register or renew a domain, and this brought in around 87 million East Caribbean dollars (about $32 million), according to an IMF report.
The IMF said Anguilla plans to use the money it earns from its “.ai” domains for long-term projects that can support the island’s future, such as renewable energy. Important infrastructure, including the airport, could also be improved with this unexpected boost in income.
About 37% of Anguilla’s income comes from tourism
Right now, about 37% of Anguilla’s income comes from tourism, which shows how much the island depends on visitors from abroad—a sector that was badly hit during COVID. Because of this, the money coming in from “.ai” domains has become a valuable extra source of income, contributing roughly one-fifth of the government’s total earnings.
For now, the growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down. In 2024, Anguilla earned much more than expected from “.ai” domain registrations—bringing in over 105 million East Caribbean dollars (about $39 million), which was around 41 million more than projected. According to the island’s 2025 budget speech, officials now expect this number to rise even further, reaching about 132 million East Caribbean dollars (around $49 million) this year.
The UK plays an important role in Anguilla’s defence and security and has supported the island during difficult times. After Hurricane Irma caused major damage in 2017, the UK provided £60 million in aid over five years to help with rebuilding and recovery.
Dharmesh Shah spent around $700,000 to secure the you.ai domain
Tech entrepreneur Dharmesh Shah paid about $700,000 to Anguilla to buy the domain you.ai, according to a report by the BBC.
He said the idea behind the domain was to build a product that would let people create digital versions of themselves—tools that could handle specific tasks on their behalf.
Shah also shared that he doesn’t usually buy domains just to resell them. However, in 2024, he revealed on X that he had purchased chat.com for more than $15 million and later sold it to ChatGPT for an undisclosed amount. He also owns several other .ai domains, including simple.ai, easy.ai, and chess.ai.