ICANN publishes application list, with OpenAI seeking .gpt, .chatgpt and .agi

ICANN has published the list of applications for new generic top-level domains, and AI company OpenAI appears among the applicants.

According to a report by Pasquale Pillitteri, the top-level strings OpenAI applied for include .gpt, .chatgpt and .agi.

A top-level domain is the final segment of an internet address, usually tied to a brand, organization or industry category. Applying for a dedicated domain means a company could let users reach its services through names ending in that suffix.

.gpt and .chatgpt map directly to OpenAI's core product brand, while .agi points to the broader concept of artificial general intelligence.

Publication of the application list is only the first step in a long process. ICANN's top-level domain applications still have to pass evaluation, possible dispute resolution and final delegation before any of them go live.

For OpenAI, controlling a dedicated top-level domain supports brand protection and control over an entry point, extending its brand into the address layer at a time of intensifying competition in AI services.

For the industry, several AI-related strings being contested at once reflects growing competition over naming and access points.

What to watch next is how the applications progress through evaluation, whether any string attracts competing applicants, and whether these new domains ultimately go live.