AI Domains Fund Anguilla’s Budget

Anguilla’s .ai country domain exploded from 48,000 registrations in 2018 to 870,000 this year, now supplying nearly 50% of the government’s revenue. The AI hype has turned a tiny nation’s internet namespace into a major fiscal asset, akin to a resource boom but in digital real estate. This raises questions about volatility, governance of ccTLD revenues, and the geopolitics of internet naming. — It highlights how AI’s economic spillovers can reshape small-country finances and policy, showing digital rents can rival traditional tax bases.