Domain Name Suffix Trends: .IO, .AI, What's Next?

In the domain industry, those in the know have been aware of the popularity of the .IO extension since 2019. However, this extension has been around for quite some time. Nevertheless, during the COVID-19 pandemic, tech companies began adapting to and using this extension, leading to a significant surge in sales and registrations.

A similar story unfolded with the .AI extension. Shortly after the launch of ChatGPT, this extension garnered immense interest from artificial intelligence companies and domain investors alike. We witnessed high sales of .AI for two consecutive years. In 2023, we acquired a platform where 35-40% of the domains were .AI, and the first quarter of 2024 also showed strong performance. In the short to medium term, we may continue to see robust sales of .AI extensions. Subsequently, a decline similar to what we observed with .IO wouldn't be surprising. What's next?

Some domain investors abroad predict that the next big thing could be the .bot extension. The reasoning is as follows: if you're familiar with X, Telegram, Twitch, Kick, or even some cryptocurrency exchange services, you may not be a stranger to their bot services (and bots within the exchanges). Some of these services use the .BOT extension, such as moo.bot, while other projects/services use it, such as farm.bot, Hydra.bot, and resist.bot. Additionally, many websites use chatbots to assist customers.

I believe the number of these bot services will increase over time. I have no doubt about it. The pie will get bigger. However, what's interesting is the commonality between "bot" and "ai." This implies that those involved in building, businesses, and projects related to bot services may potentially use .AI and/or .BOT (among other extensions). Furthermore, there are currently many excellent .BOT domain names available for registration. Additionally, the .BOT extension's registrar is Amazon, which is a plus for me.

On the other hand, the .bot extension has registration levels, making investments expensive. The standard renewal fee is around $50, with the highest reaching $3,600. Other levels I've seen are $120, $360, $1,200, and $3,600. However, there are still many decent brands available for $50.

Some new and seasoned investors have already made significant investments in .BOT domains. However, the registration numbers are still too low (as of today, there are only 13,329 registered .BOT domains). They may be ahead of their time, or the market may not want/need them yet; time will tell.