OpenAI, Google, and Meta are competing for AI-related internet domains as cryptocurrency firms pursue their own digital naming rights in a significant expansion of the internet's address system.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) revealed 1,615 applications on October 7 for new generic top-level domains, marking the first application round since 2012. The competition reflects how technology and finance companies are positioning themselves for a future where AI agents and blockchain services increasingly interact with digital infrastructure.
Tech Companies Target AI Domains
The .agent extension has become one of the most contested names, with 13 applicants including OpenAI, Google, and Meta competing for control.
OpenAI submitted applications for 15 extensions, including .agent, .agi, .asi, .gpt, .model, .skill, .voice, and .mcp. Google is competing for several of the same names, including .agent and .mcp, while Meta is pursuing .agent alongside extensions associated with its artificial intelligence products.
Seven applicants are seeking .agi, a reference to artificial general intelligence, while five applications target .mcp, the abbreviation for Model Context Protocol, a standard developed by Anthropic for connecting AI applications with external tools and data. Anthropic itself applied for only .anthropic and .claude, leaving contested names to other applicants.
Financial Stakes and Precedent
Each standard application carries a $227,000 evaluation fee, and competition for particularly valuable names could eventually lead to auctions. Google's registry subsidiary paid $25 million to secure .app in a 2015 ICANN auction, illustrating how expensive contested extensions can become.
Operating a successful top-level domain registry could allow a company to manage registrations and collect fees for addresses using that extension, subject to ICANN's rules.
Crypto Firms Join the Competition
Cryptocurrency companies are also seeking extensions associated with digital assets, blockchain networks, and online payments. ICANN's preliminary contention data shows 11 applications for .bit, making it one of the most contested individual names alongside .agent.
Five applicants are seeking .crypto, while .wallet and .dao attracted four applications each. The .bitcoin, .btc, and .nft extensions each received two applications.
The Cardano Foundation disclosed on October 8 that its application for .ada was advancing to the next stage of ICANN's process. Frax Finance also disclosed an application for .frax, outlining ambitions to connect internet naming with on-chain ownership, payments, and commerce.
Technical Limitations and Next Steps
Approval of a crypto-related domain would not automatically enable blockchain transactions or wallet functionality. Such services would require additional technical integrations.
None of the contested domains has been awarded. The applications introduce another dimension to the emerging competition between AI and crypto infrastructure providers, particularly as autonomous software increasingly gains the ability to initiate payments and interact with digital wallets.
