by Netcraft
Given the global interest in artificial intelligence (AI), it comes as no surprise that cybercriminals are looking to exploit the media hype. 2023 has seen a rapid increase in AI-themed attacks, following the release of Large Language Model (LLM)-powered chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022 (which quickly became one of the fastest-growing consumer applications ever). One easy way to theme a website around AI is to use a domain name which highlights it, as a .ai domain does.
This blog takes a look at the popularity of the .ai domains in recent years and the malicious activity on them that Netcraft has detected and disrupted.
... The number of URLs on .ai domains that we have blocked also follows a similar pattern over the past 10 years. The number of blocks we have performed in 2023 is on track to beat 2022 by a large margin, with the total block count for 2022 already having been surpassed in September 2023. However, despite this recent surge in growth, Netcraft first blocked a .ai domain over 16 years ago, in June 2007.
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