ICANN's new TLD applications are flooded with AI names; .agent draws OpenAI, Google, Meta
ICANN published its latest round of generic top-level domain applications: 1,615 bids from 481 applicants, with AI-related strings the most contested — 10 companies including Meta and OpenAI applied for .agent, seven for .agi and six for .asi. OpenAI filed for 15 TLDs (including .chatgpt, .codex, .gpt and .openai), Google for more than 30 (including .mcp, .api and .agent), Meta for 21, while Anthropic sought only .anthropic and .claude. Reports differ on the number of brand applications (333 vs. 345); ICANN's Prioritization Draw is due in the first half of 2027, with domains unlikely to go live before late 2027.
AI companies are treating domain names as product front doors and brand assets to compete over, though nothing is approved yet and the practical effect would not arrive until 2027.
It appears .agent and .agi are about to be the hot new domains
ICANN’s latest top-level domain applications are out, and they are all about AI.
ICANN’s latest top-level domain applications are out, and they are all about AI.
by David Pierce
Oct 7, 2026, 6:46 PM UTC
