Trump Renames AI to SI: Slovenian Domains Experience Massive Buying Frenzy

US President Donald Trump's decision to promote a new term for artificial intelligence, "Super Intelligence" (SI), has triggered unexpected turmoil in the global domain name market. While the .ai domain has long been associated with the technology boom, investors, domain speculators, and technology companies are now turning their attention to Slovenia's national domain extension, .si. Registrations have surged dramatically, and attractive domain names are increasingly becoming targets for speculative investments.

Trump's Decision Changes the Established AI Terminology

On September 22, 2026, US President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly, where he introduced his intention to change the terminology used for artificial intelligence. According to Trump, the term "Artificial Intelligence" can be misleading because the word "artificial" may suggest something fake or unnatural.

The new term, Super Intelligence (SI), is intended to better reflect the growing capabilities of modern intelligent technologies, according to the US administration.

On September 29, 2026, the president signed Executive Order No. 14434, titled Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence, directing federal agencies to adopt the new terminology in official communications, documents, and websites to the extent permitted by law.

However, this does not mean that the term AI has been abolished worldwide or that private technology companies are required to rename their products. The change primarily concerns terminology used by the US federal government.

Slovenia's .si Domain Unexpectedly Takes Center Stage

The terminology change has produced one particularly surprising side effect.

The abbreviation SI is identical to the country-code top-level domain assigned to Slovenia: .si.

The internet industry has already witnessed a similar phenomenon with the .ai domain, originally assigned to the Caribbean island of Anguilla. As artificial intelligence gained popularity, .ai became a highly desirable domain extension for technology startups, developers, and companies specializing in AI.

Domain investors are now speculating that Slovenia's .si domain could follow a similar path.

Within just a few days, what was previously considered a primarily regional domain extension has become an attractive opportunity for registering names associated with artificial intelligence, technology brands, and potential future projects.

.si Domain Registrations Increased More Than Thirteenfold

According to data from Slovenia's official domain registry, the .si extension experienced an extraordinary surge in registrations during September 2026.

August 2026: 3,515 newly registered .si domains.
September 2026: 46,066 newly registered .si domains.
Month-over-month growth: approximately 1,210%.

In just one month, more than thirteen times as many domains were registered compared with the previous month.

Cybersecurity company Netcraft also reported that during the first 25 hours following Trump's speech at the United Nations, new .si domain registrations exceeded those of .ai domains.

Registration activity accelerated further after the executive order was signed on September 29, 2026. According to Netcraft, average daily registrations more than doubled compared with the period between Trump's UN speech and the signing of the order.

This remarkable growth demonstrates how a political decision by the US president can significantly influence the global domain name market within just a few days.

Domain Speculators Are Buying Up Attractive Names

While some companies are registering .si domains to protect their brands, other investors see the current situation as an opportunity to generate substantial profits.

In its analysis published on October 1, 2026, cybersecurity company Netcraft described a significant increase in registrations through domain registrars Dynadot and OpusDNS.

According to its findings, more than 50% of the monitored .si domains registered through Dynadot during the period between Trump's social media posts and his UN speech were subsequently listed for sale on a domain marketplace.

Researchers also identified a group of 87 .com domains combining well-known brand names with the word "superintelligence". These domains were registered shortly before the executive order was signed and subsequently offered for sale at $20,000 per domain.

This is a clear example of domain speculation, where investors register potentially valuable names in anticipation of future demand and resale opportunities.

However, it is important to distinguish asking prices from completed transactions. At the time of publication, Netcraft had not identified any confirmed ownership transfers involving the mentioned group of domains.

Slovenia's Domain Registry Reports Extraordinary Demand

The situation has also attracted the attention of Register.si, Slovenia's official domain registry, operated by the public organization Arnes.

The registry confirmed an extraordinary increase in interest in .si domains and began publishing regularly updated registration statistics.

The growing popularity of Slovenia's national domain extension creates opportunities for domain registrars while raising concerns about the availability of desirable names and the protection of established trademarks.

Companies planning to use the SI abbreviation for their technology products may discover that their preferred domain names have already been registered by speculative investors.

Could .si Become the Next .ai?

Over the past few years, .ai domains have become virtually synonymous with companies operating in the artificial intelligence industry. They are widely used by technology startups, large language model developers, research organizations, and AI service providers.

The .si domain could theoretically experience a similar transformation.

However, its long-term success will largely depend on whether the term Super Intelligence gains widespread adoption beyond the US federal government.

While .ai already enjoys a well-established position in the technology industry, .si is only beginning to attract international attention.

There is also an important distinction between today's artificial intelligence systems and genuine superintelligence. In scientific and technological discussions, superintelligence generally refers to a hypothetical intelligence capable of surpassing human abilities across a broad range of activities.

A political change in terminology does not automatically mean that existing AI systems have reached this level of capability.

Domain Speculation Also Creates Cybersecurity Risks

The rapid increase in registrations of popular domain extensions can introduce several cybersecurity risks.

The most significant concerns include:

Cybersquatting: registering domain names containing established brands or trademarks with the intention of reselling them.
Typosquatting: registering domain names that closely resemble existing websites or legitimate services.
Phishing: the potential use of confusingly similar domains to create fraudulent websites.
Brand protection: the risk of third parties registering domains associated with existing business names.
Investment speculation: purchasing domains at prices that may not reflect their actual long-term market value.

If .si becomes widely adopted by technology companies, domain names could emerge that are easily confused with existing .ai websites.

Netcraft has already begun monitoring suspicious registration patterns. However, in its October 1 analysis, the company had not confirmed an increase in phishing websites directly associated with Trump's terminology change.

What Does This Mean for Businesses, Developers, and Website Owners?

Recent developments demonstrate how quickly a political decision can influence the global internet industry.

For companies operating in artificial intelligence, software development, web hosting, and other technology sectors, checking the availability of relevant .si domains may be a sensible precaution.

Registering a .si domain could serve several purposes:

Protecting an existing business name or trademark.
Creating marketing opportunities for emerging technology projects.
Establishing an alternative web address for artificial intelligence services.
Preventing third parties from registering domains associated with a company's brand.
Making a speculative investment with potential long-term appreciation.

However, the domain name market is highly speculative, and the current surge in interest in Slovenian domains may prove temporary.

Businesses should therefore evaluate domain registrations based primarily on their long-term strategic value rather than the temporary popularity of a particular extension.

One Presidential Decision Shakes Up the Domain Market

The story of Slovenia's .si domain is a fascinating example of how changing just a few letters can trigger a significant reaction across the global internet industry.

Trump's decision to promote the term Super Intelligence instead of Artificial Intelligence has contributed to a dramatic increase in domain registrations, growing investor interest, and speculative domain purchases.

Whether .si will ultimately follow the success of .ai remains to be seen over the coming months and years.

One thing is already clear: in the world of internet domains, just two letters can carry surprisingly significant commercial value.

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