From .AI to .SI: New Executive Order Creates a Domain Squatting Risk

You may have seen recent headlines about a surge in registrations of “.si” domain names. Here is what is driving it, what it means for brand owners, and how we suggest deciding whether to act.

What Happened

After raising the idea in his September 22 address to the U.N. General Assembly, President Trump signed Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence,” on September 29, 2026. The order directs federal agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in official communications, websites, reports, and other non-statutory materials.

Why .si Matters

“.si” is the country-code domain for Slovenia, and demand has spiked. Registrations reportedly jumped from roughly 3,500 per month to several thousand per day, with a single-day record of more than 12,000. Industry reports indicate that over 44,000 .si names already mirror existing .ai domains. Many new registrations appear speculative, with some names already listed for resale at asking prices in the millions. Slovenia’s registry, Register.si, has publicly encouraged brand owners to secure their names promptly.

The Risk for Brand Owners

The concern is defensive. When an extension suddenly becomes popular, opportunistic registrants target recognizable brands, either to resell the name to the brand owner or to use it for look-alike sites and phishing. The .si extension is open to registrants worldwide and inexpensive (often $10 to $15 per year, versus roughly $90 per year with a two-year minimum for .ai), which lowers the barrier for squatters. We are already seeing this in practice, including registrants based in Asia registering [brand].si domains for well-known U.S. marks. The result is a three-continent problem: a U.S. brand owner, a registrant in Asia, and a dispute that must be brought in Europe.

If a squatter gets there first

.si domains fall outside the UDRP. Disputes go through the Slovenian registry’s own alternative dispute resolution procedure (ARDS), which draws on UDRP principles but is a separate proceeding under local rules. It is generally faster and cheaper than litigation, but recovering a name still costs far more than registering it, and outcomes are never guaranteed.

Our View

It is too early to know whether “SI” will displace “AI” in common usage. The order applies only to federal agencies, and many in the industry expect .ai and .com to remain dominant. We do not view .si as a must-have for most businesses, but it is a low-cost hedge worth serious consideration if:

• You develop, market, or rely heavily on AI products or services, or your brand is closely associated with technology.
• You already hold, or have considered, .ai domains for your key brands.
• Your marks are well known, frequently impersonated, or have been targeted by cybersquatters before.
• You have operations or customers in Slovenia or the broader EU.

For those clients, we recommend three steps:

1. Check availability of .si domains for your primary house marks and key product brands.
2. Register the most important ones defensively. They can point to your existing website, so no new content is needed.
3. Add .si to any existing domain-watch service.

For everyone else, monitoring the .si space for registrations incorporating your marks is a sensible, lower-cost alternative. We would be happy to run an availability check on your portfolio, coordinate registrations through an accredited registrar, or set up monitoring. Please reach out with any questions.