In a recent interview with BBC’s Tony Livesey, the Hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Communications, Utilities, Housing, IT and E-Government Services, Mr. José Vanterpool, described Anguilla’s .AI domain name as a blessing from God, and he said that currently the income received from .AI registration globally, would represent almost 50% of Government’s total revenues for this year.
After providing Mr. Livesey with a comprehensive description of Anguilla as a British Oversees Territory in the northeastern Caribbean, having thirty-three lovely beaches, gorgeous cuisine, and friendly people, Minister Vanterpool went on to say that what began as a simple internet designation in the 1980s has now positioned Anguilla as a significant contributor to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) arena.
He noted that Government revenues from Anguilla’s .AI domain have grown from less than 1% in the 1980s to 25% last year and now revenue growth has risen toward 47% projected for 2025, which is much better than was anticipated.
“Wow! You are talking a gold mine territory there,” exclaimed Livesey. “That must have been absolutely unexpected, and it must be transforming Anguilla.”
“Well, as I told you, Anguilla is truly a blessed place, and we can only say that this is a gift that was given to us by God,” responded Minister Vanterpool.
When Mr. Livesey inquired how Government intends to use the windfall monies, Minister Vanterpool told him that since the domain name provides such a favourable income, Government is now in a position to comply with certain spending regulations, and has been able to regularize its borrowing guidelines based on the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
In addition, he told Mr. Livesey that the .AI revenues are utilized at this time to facilitate the redevelopment of Anguilla’s airport which is currently underway.
“Right now the Government of Anguilla is pursuing an expansion to the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, which includes the redevelopment of the airport terminal as well as the expansion of the runway to allow direct access from all markets in the eastern United States.”
“Ultimately,” he said, “since we are a British Overseas Territory, we would love to see direct air access between London or any other UK airport and Anguilla as well.”
“But beyond that,” he said, “funds derived from .AI revenues have allowed for the provision of other infrastructural development including roads, the upkeep of schools, and training projects such as scholarships and other social programmes.”
Minister Vanterpool reflected on the fact that one of the most notable things that Government has been able to do to date is to create a relief from the Goods and Services Tax, thus relieving the local tax burden on the residents of the island, thanks to the.AI revenues supplement.
He further explained that due to the fact that Anguilla lies within the hurricane belt, plans are afoot to ring-fence a portion of the .AI revenues, in order to save for a “rainy day”. “Besides, a portion of the revenues would go into a reserve as developmental funds that would benefit future generations,” the Minister noted.
“This is an incredible story,” said Mr. Livesey. He asked: “If one wants to buy a .AI domain, would you charge based on the size of the company that is buying or is it a ‘one size fits all’ thing? “
The Minister answered: “Right now it is a ‘one size fits all’ for the price of the domain. The price is about US$140 at any registrar of your choice. However, different registrars offer different incentive packages, especially for the first-time purchase.
“By the way, when you see the prices escalate beyond the standard fee, it would be because the person who is buying is either buying a domain that has been formerly occupied by someone else, or the domain has gone up for auction. In the case of auction, of course, the top price wins the purchase,” the Minister said.
“So what is your projection, how long is this going to last?” Mr. Livesey asked.
“Well, to be optimistic, I would say that I would hope it continues to perpetuity,” Minister Vanterpool answered. “But we are doing certain things. We have certain plans. I definitely think that AI, as a technology, and Artificial Intelligence in general, is here to stay and it is more than just a tech fad. So, I don’t see any reasons why that inherent interest would disappear.”
“But we are refocusing here in Anguilla,” he stated. “We are a tourism destination, and we have the high-end hotels, our beaches and our people. But we are also doing things like expanding upon our framework. We have our special economic zones, for example, that would encourage companies that are involved in tech, finance and knowledge-based industries to come and set up here.”
He said that it is expected that next year there will be a number of AI conferences actually rolling out within Anguilla, as efforts are being made to make Anguilla more synonymous with AI as the tech-hub in the region. “This would give people the incentive to come and visit us, come and work from here, and come and experience our culture and our people,” explained Minister Vanterpool.
Mr. Livesey said he regarded the interview as a fascinating story, and he expressed his appreciation to the Minister.
