The Slovenian national domain registry, Register.si, reported a significant surge in registrations for the .si domain suffix in September. According to spokesperson Klara Herman, the registry processed 44,000 new registrations in September, compared to fewer than 2,000 in August, marking an increase of over 2,100%. On September 30 alone, 11,000 new domains were registered.
This spike follows a proposal by US President Donald Trump to rename artificial intelligence (AI) to 'super intelligence' (SI). On September 11, during a speech at the UN General Assembly, Trump suggested that the term 'artificial' implies something fake. He subsequently signed an executive order requiring all US government departments and agencies to replace the term 'AI' with 'SI' in official documents, websites, and reports.
While the registry noted that September's figures were unprecedented compared to the previous 12 months, officials remain cautious about attributing the entire growth solely to Trump's rhetoric. Experts suggest that the surge may also be driven by domain speculation, where investors purchase domains in anticipation of future value appreciation and potential resale, a common practice in the domain market.
