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Anguilla: Harnessing AI for Economic Growth and Innovation
Anguilla: Harnessing AI for Economic Growth and Innovation
Artificial intelligence’s integration into everyday life has raised questions about humanity’s future. Yet in Anguilla, a small Caribbean island to the east of Puerto Rico, the A.I. boom presents a significant economic opportunity.
As a British territory, Anguilla collects fees from every registration for internet addresses that end in “.ai,” the domain name assigned to the island, similar to “.fr” for France and “.jp” for Japan. Companies eager to position themselves at the forefront of the A.I. revolution, including Elon Musk’s X.ai, have flooded Anguilla with requests for domain names.
Lucrative Domain Sales
For each domain registration, Anguilla’s government earns between $140 to thousands of dollars from names sold at auction. Last year, this translated to about $32 million in revenue, accounting for over 10% of the island’s GDP. Premier Ellis Webster aptly noted, “Some people call it a windfall. We just call it God smiling down on us.” This newfound revenue is being reinvested into vital public services, including free healthcare for citizens aged 70 and older, funding for a new school and vocational training center, and improvements to the island's airport.
Artificial intelligence’s integration into everyday life has raised questions about humanity’s future. Yet in Anguilla, a small Caribbean island to the east of Puerto Rico, the A.I. boom presents a significant economic opportunity.
As a British territory, Anguilla collects fees from every registration for internet addresses that end in “.ai,” the domain name assigned to the island, similar to “.fr” for France and “.jp” for Japan. Companies eager to position themselves at the forefront of the A.I. revolution, including Elon Musk’s X.ai, have flooded Anguilla with requests for domain names.
Lucrative Domain Sales
For each domain registration, Anguilla’s government earns between $140 to thousands of dollars from names sold at auction. Last year, this translated to about $32 million in revenue, accounting for over 10% of the island’s GDP.