.hey .human: .let .the .official .agent .race .for .the .future .internet .get .wild — What 1,615 New TLD Applications Reveal
Overview
Earlier this year, a crucial deadline for the internet passed while many were captivated by a spectacular solar eclipse in Europe. On Aug. 12, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) closed the applications for new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs).
The internet’s naming authority gave the public a chance to apply for new alternatives to .com and other generic TLDs. Country-code TLDs, such as Slovenia’s .si, sit outside this process; see Netcraft’s write-ups on Slovenia’s .si explosion in the last month. The last round of new gTLDs was in 2012 and resulted in over 1,200 new domain extensions including .app, .bank, and .dev.
On Oct. 7, the list of applications was made public, and we can now see the 1,615 applications from 481 applicants. While some of us were staring at the stars, these applicants were paying a fee of $227,000 per application for the chance to run the next popular domain space. What are they competing for and which ones are notable?
ICANN received 1,615 applications for new gTLDs as part of its 2026 round.
Who is the .official .agent and what should a .human think about it?
It should surprise no one who has opened a web browser in 2026 that the fiercest competition is in the AI-related domain space.
The most applications submitted for one gTLD were for .agent, with 13 applicants. OpenAI is listed as competing with others for nine domains. Other than .agent, there are multiple applicants for .mcp, .gpt, .model, and .agi (for artificial general intelligence). OpenAI has applied for .gpt as a brand TLD, which, if successful, would let OpenAI keep it for its own use, icing out others wishing to use a TLD referencing GPTs (or generative pre-trained transformers).
Two rival applicants want to run it as an open TLD. Contested strings may ultimately head to an ICANN auction. The record is $135 million, paid for .web, a 2012-round application, at a 2016 auction.
Brands seeking to stake out their turf
The most straightforward use of this process is for a brand to create a new official namespace that it can control and direct customers towards. Notable examples include .bankofamerica, .mychart, .hilton, and for those of us fond of the classic “dad shoes”, .newbalance. Sports leagues like .nhl and restaurant brands like .applebees are hoping to join the likes of fellow applications .bsky (Bluesky) and .tiktok to control their own domain space.
Brand TLD operators have full control over their space and can keep those domains reserved for their own needs. Applicants were required to work with an approved registry service provider to submit their proposals, which should alleviate most of the management and administration if they are approved to open this namespace.
So what does the .future hold?
The window for applicants to switch to a replacement name listed in their original application is open until Oct. 21. This allows for some conflicting names to resolve without competition. On Nov. 17, 2026, the list of which names are in conflict will be published. The period for objections and public comments will then be open until March 16, 2027.
At some point in the first half of 2027, ICANN will draw the order in which applications are processed. Eventually, auctions will happen to resolve competing claims. While we will have to wait even later than that to find out the latest domains that will resolve on the .internet, there is plenty of abuse happening on existing domains like .shop and competition for .si to keep us busy.
