Trump's 'Super Intelligence' Sparks Domain Gold Rush

US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order directing government departments to use the term 'Super Intelligence' (SI) instead of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in official communications. A White House factsheet stated this new name better reflects current technological capabilities. Trump has also encouraged major US tech firms to adopt the 'Super Intelligence' moniker, though the industry has yet to fully embrace the change.

The presidential directive has ignited a speculative boom in internet domain registrations. Investors are aggressively acquiring domains with the '.si' suffix, which is Slovenia's country code top-level domain. This strategy parallels the earlier surge in '.ai' domains, which became popular as shorthand for Artificial Intelligence. The current aim is to capitalize on the rebranding of AI to 'Super Intelligence'.

Data from Slovenia's domain registry indicates a significant increase in registrations, with nearly 19% of the country's 2.4 lakh '.si' domains registered in September alone, following Trump's social media poll and UN speech on the matter. A substantial portion of these newly registered domains are being listed for resale on aftermarket platforms, with some domains like build.si and seed.si being offered for millions of dollars, reflecting the high expectations of profit.

This domain speculation is driven by past successes, such as AI.com selling for $70 million (approximately Rs 630 crore) and bot.ai for nearly Rs 11 crore. While many '.si' domains are being acquired speculatively, a small fraction are being utilized by companies. Netcraft data reveals a significant overlap, with 44,000 registered '.si' domains having matching '.ai' counterparts, indicating a dual acquisition strategy by some investors.