The domain “AI.com” now redirects to the website of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s chatbot. The news comes after DeepSeek apparently received approval from the owner of AI.com, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and registered the domain in the region.
According to whois, a service which allows users to find out who owns a particular domain, AI.com was first registered in May 1993, however it has since been owned by multiple major tech companies.
READ: China disrupts AI market with DeepSeek: A better, cheaper version of ChatGPT? (January 27, 2025)
In 2023, the domain redirected users to ChatGPT, and it was reported that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman bid for the domain. Soon after, the domain started redirecting users to Elon Musk’s xAI.
Later, AI.com started redirecting to a video titled “AI-generated videos just changed forever” by American YouTuber Marques Brownlee on his channel in February 2024. However, Brownlee said he did not own the domain, and it was unclear who actually owned it.
In March 2024, it was reported that the domain was redirecting to Google’s Gemini chatbot. Meanwhile, OpenAI bought the domain “chat.com” in November 2024. “chat.com” was originally purchased by HubSpot co-founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah for $15.5 million, making it one of the most expensive domain sales on record.
READ: Apple CEO comes out in support and praise for DeepSeek (January 31, 2025)
DeepSeek has recently been much talked about since its disruption of the tech industry with its AI model which proved to be far more efficient and cost effective than other top AI models. The reaction to this development has been mixed–while Apple CEO Tim Cook praised DeepSeek for “innovation that drives efficiency,” others like Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas raised concerns about “censorship and propaganda.” Recently, the app was also banned in Texas by Governor Greg Abott.