In February, there was some commotion when it seemed like OpenAI acquired AI.com to redirect it to the ChatGPT web interface. However, now it appears that Twitter co-founder and Elon Musk, a supporter of X.ai, may have taken over the valuable domain. AI.com now redirects to X.ai, Musk’s machine-learning research venture.
Indeed, domain transactions occur regularly, but two-letter .com domains are exceptionally scarce and carry a hefty price tag, particularly those that create meaningful words or familiar abbreviations. When AI.com began redirecting to OpenAI’s website, Mashable highlighted that the domain likely fetched a substantial price, not much lower than the $3.8 million sale of IT.com the previous year. Given the widespread excitement surrounding artificial intelligence, the value of AI.com is expected to have reached an even higher sum.
Certainly, OpenAI’s acquisition of AI.com likely aimed to attract confused URL bar types and potentially transition its consumer-facing operations, such as ChatGPT’s web client, to the shorter domain. However, with the domain now redirected to X.ai, the true intentions behind the purchase remain uncertain.
The news of the domain switch was initially reported by Analytics India Magazine, though aside from the transfer itself, there isn’t much else to share. The whole situation is peculiar and costly enough to catch our attention.
X.ai remains mostly conceptual, comprising a small team of academics and engineers who likely focus on projects aligned with Musk’s direction. The organization’s stated mission is to “understand the true nature of the universe,” but no noticeable advancements have surfaced since its website launch in July. It’s worth noting that Musk has been engaged in various ventures during this period.
The situation raises questions: Did Sam Altman lose interest in the domain? Was the plan to switch to the new domain abandoned in favor of a different one? Was the sale tentative or just a month-to-month lease? Could there have been a bidding war, or did someone simply lose interest in the acquisition? The answers remain elusive, leaving us to wonder about the possible reasons behind the domain’s change in ownership.
In the end, it feels like a squabble between wealthy individuals over a shiny object. ChatGPT stands as the most renowned AI brand, so why spend millions to create a new one from scratch? X.ai is already short and memorable (unless there end up being eight other Musk companies with the same name), and the site lacks substantial content, so why pay a hefty sum to redirect another empty website? It’s important to mention that OpenAI never officially confirmed its acquisition of the domain, and Elon Musk has not responded to our emails and likely won’t.
If I had $10 million and the chance to buy AI.com, here’s what I’d do: I’d redirect it to the obvious candidate and then entice their competitors with a 50% markup. If that didn’t work, I’d switch it to the rival and offer it back to the first company. Perhaps someone with a clever idea like this managed to get a hefty payday from one of these billionaires. Well played if so.
Honestly, it’s likely that no one really cares who owns AI.com, and people might be wary of a corporate entity controlling such an obvious vanity domain. Maybe we should all agree not to use it. That could be a lesson for everyone involved.
