An hour-long debate on digital innovation, reputation, and domain names to reflect on how Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way we build and enhance our online presence.
The Registro .it took part in Internet Festival 2025 with the event “Smart and Identity-Based Domain Names, Thanks (Also) to Artificial Intelligence”, an opportunity to reaffirm the strategic role of the domain name as a true digital business card for companies and professionals. Moderated by Massimo Fellini (journalist, content creator, expert in innovation and AI), the event brought together four authoritative voices to discuss the opportunities that Artificial Intelligence can offer in building digital identity, starting from a key question: can AI really be useful in choosing a domain?
Opening the discussion, Daniele Chieffi (journalist, reputation manager, founding partner of Bi-Wise) immediately warned against the risk of total delegation to AI in creative and strategic processes. While it is true that today just a few prompts are enough to obtain domain name suggestions or even entire communication plans, this ease can lead to giving up the human contribution, reducing the choice to a mechanical and standardized act. AI, he explained, should be seen as an executive ally, useful for putting into practice already defined ideas and accelerating processes, but not capable of replacing vision and strategy, which remain the true added value of human work. For this reason, he urged entrepreneurs to always start from a clear idea of their identity and objectives, using AI as a critical mirror rather than as a substitute for creativity.
For his part, Donato Molino (Chairman of the Steering Committee of Registro .it – CIR and President of the trade association AssoTLD) recalled how the domain name has evolved from a simple technical asset into an identity tool, closely linked to online reputation. He drew attention to the risks and opportunities associated with the use of AI: from data management, which must always be handled securely and protected, to the ownership of rights over AI-generated works, an area in which Italian legislation has recently clarified that the author remains the person who provides the input. Molino also noted how the growing habit of turning directly to AI-based assistants, bypassing search engines, could impact the entire web ecosystem, from Registrars to SEO specialists. For him too, AI should be considered a useful tool, but strategic decisions must always remain in human hands.
Looking at the market, Luca Luperini (elected member of the CIR and Head of Hosting and Domains at Aruba) provided a clear snapshot of the current landscape. The .it remains the most requested domain among Italian businesses, because it is strongly identity-based, but its maturity - with over 3.5 million registrations - makes it increasingly difficult to find available names. As a result, more and more companies are registering the same name across multiple extensions, both international (.com, .online) and vertical (.tech, .cloud), and are focusing on brand-related domains rather than descriptive ones. AI, he explained, provides tangible support: it speeds up the search for available names, suggests creative alternatives, and helps prevent abuses, strengthening defensive registration strategies.
Looking at the history of the Internet, Luperini recalled how it has often been thought that the domain might lose centrality, but each time it has proven to be a cornerstone. Even today, with AI, the domain remains an asset destined to last, capable of adapting to new digital scenarios.
The event highlighted how the choice of a domain continues to be a distinctive and strategic decision, requiring a balance of creativity, reputation, legal protection and entrepreneurial vision. The reflections made it clear that Artificial Intelligence does not replace human creativity, but rather enhances it: if used consciously, it can become a valuable ally to make this process faster, more effective, and more competitive, helping to strengthen the digital presence of Italian businesses.