OpenAI and Meta Dominate ICANN AI Domain Rush

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has unveiled a list of 1,615 applications for new top-level domains (TLDs), sparking a massive land grab for AI-related web addresses. Leading the charge are major technology companies seeking to lock down key terms. For instance, 13 different organizations, including Meta and OpenAI, are competing for the ".agent" domain, while seven applicants are vying for ".agi" to represent artificial general intelligence.

Meta is leading the technology sector with 21 domain requests, targeting names like .aiglasses, .facebook, .instagram, .llama, .messenger, .meta, .metaai, .metaglasses, .metaverse, .muse, .superintelligence, .threads, .vrs, .wearables, and .whatsapp. OpenAI followed closely with 15 applications, covering .chatgpt, .openai, .asi, .codex, .deploy, .evals, .gpt, .mcp, .model, .oai, .skill, and .voice. Meanwhile, Amazon submitted eight applications, including .alexa, .echo, .eero, .kgs, .kuiper, .leo, .ring, and .twitch. Microsoft requested just two, .msft and .copilot, while Anthropic also sought two, .anthropic and .claude. OpenClaw applied for .claw and .oss, and six organizations requested .human to counter the AI trend.

For enterprise IT professionals and security practitioners, this expansion introduces significant operational challenges. Managing routing, allowlists, and blocklists will become increasingly complex as hundreds of new generic TLDs enter the global Domain Name System. ICANN president Kurtis Lindqvist noted that the reveal "marks an important milestone" for internet expansion. However, the immediate future involves a two-week string replacement window, followed by a 104-day Community Input and Objections Period before any final domain allocations are decided.