Thoughts

Andrew Miller

March 3, 2024

Navigating the Hype around .AI Domains

There has been a lot of buzz on .AI domain names recently and for the past 3 months, I have emails from many asking my opinion on .ai domains. In full disclosure, I have been one of the most outspoken experts that devalue non .com TLD’s going back 25 years. At least I am consistent:). I have friends making good money on .ai right now, and I have end user clients who have made large, longer term investments in a handful. My thoughts are in line with what they have always been; that any TLD that is not .com (or .org) surfaces due to something happening in the broader environment around it. I have seen it with so many and often sarcastically refer to them as the “TLD du jour”. Historically, I have been much more right than wrong. There is no doubt that AI will have a transformative impact on business and life, one maybe only rivaled by the Internet itself and the Iphone. That undoubtedly will lead to a bubble in AI investments, as everyone rushes to get in and VC’s follow others, as they have the most FOMO of all. There WILL be .AI success stories, whether they are from start ups or established companies. WIth that said, one benefit of having been involved with domains and the Internet since the 1990’s is I have seen it all. If you want to invest in AI domains, do so, hey I may too selectively, but do not lose sight of the likelihood that they are not necessarily tied to the importance of AI as a platform and they too, like 100 percent of those TLDs before them, will be grossly devalued in time and likely sooner than later. In the words of Bob Dylan, “don’t say I didn’t warn you when your train gets lost.”.

The Countdown to Namescon: Special Guests & Exclusive Insights

I have recently posted about some massive complex, important domain transactions we at Hilco Digital Assets are overseeing. One I will have to wait to discuss due to the terms and nature of the deal and the other I have been told is going to be publicly announced in March. Once it is, it will be a fascinating story to tell. In June, I will be speaking at NamesCon. I am so excited about it because I will be joined by my co-host of our Random Thoughts podcast larry fischer and a special guest friend that will be announced soon, but let me just say, it will be a dynamic 45 minutes on domains at the highest level. It is always great to host our annual dinner at the phenomenal Red Ash, send Daniel Koleshchuk to wait in line at 1030am at Franklin BBQ, talk daily fantasy golf with my guy Vince Harasymiak,and see friends.

A Strong Week for Crypto

Quite the week for Bitcoin, Eth, Bored Apes, and Ape Coin. Great to see NFT 2.0 slowly getting going.

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