OpenAI has captured 22% of all company-level AI coverage across 500 tier-one media outlets in 37 markets, significantly outperforming competitors like Anthropic, which holds just 4%, according to Carma’s 2026 report titled “Hype, Hope or Harm? The Global Story of AI.” This analysis evaluated 12,000 articles published throughout 2025.
Despite Anthropic’s focus on safety and CEO Dario Amodei’s portrayal of its language model Claude as a risk-conscious alternative, the company’s efforts have not led to a substantial increase in media sentiment compared to other major players. ChatGPT dominates the landscape, featuring in 36% of all global coverage, followed by DeepSeek at 19%. Google’s Gemini accounts for 11%, while Claude’s share remains at a modest 4%.
Leadership representation in AI media is similarly skewed, with Sam Altman commanding 33% of the spotlight among AI leaders, ahead of Elon Musk at 27%. Amodei and other notable figures like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang (13%), Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg (9%), and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella (5%) trail significantly. Collectively, CEOs are responsible for 43% of the top commentator groups in AI media coverage.
While optimism prevails in AI media, with positive sentiment comprising 57% of coverage in 2025, this positivity is often short-lived. It spikes around key events like model launches and major conferences but does not maintain consistent momentum. The report highlights a clear consensus on fear and concern regarding AI; media outlets are noted to overestimate positive sentiment in many markets, particularly in the West. In fact, media trust signals frequently exceed audience-reported trust in nearly 70% of surveyed markets, indicating a significant disconnect.
The burden of responsibility in AI governance appears to be shifting away from governments and onto AI companies and their users. Significant events in February 2025, including DeepSeek’s triggering of bans and geopolitical scrutiny, the Paris AI Summit, and a wave of AI misuse cases, have altered the media narrative. AI companies are now being framed less as innovators and more as custodians of risk, reflecting society’s evolving expectations.
Trust and governance are crucial themes in AI coverage, with accuracy and reliability cited as primary trust signals in 32% of related articles. Transparency follows closely at 27%, while human oversight accounts for 14%. For audiences, safety and prevention of misuse hold the top spot at 28%, followed by accuracy and reliability at 24%, and transparency at 22%. This divergence underscores the complexities of public sentiment towards AI.
In terms of media coverage, productivity applications are a dominant theme, with discussions focusing on automation, operational efficiency (25%), and decision support and analytics (19%). Content creation and editing, while a significant aspect of AI capabilities, rank third at 15% and are linked to heightened media anxiety over displacement and authenticity. Other areas, such as customer service and personal assistants, account for 13% of coverage, while information retrieval and summarization make up 10%.
Despite concerns regarding a potential AI bubble, media sentiment surrounding AI investment remains overwhelmingly positive, with 69% of coverage related to AI investment reflecting optimism. This sentiment is bolstered by substantial financial commitments, including Europe’s plan to allocate up to US$229 billion (€200 billion) for AI and Saudi Arabia’s US$14.9 billion investment in AI infrastructure. Google is also investing US$15 billion in an AI data hub in India.
In the computing sector, Nvidia has secured US$500 billion in AI chip bookings, making it the first company to achieve a $5 trillion valuation. OpenAI recently completed a share sale to SoftBank at a similar valuation, highlighting the significant financial stakes in the AI landscape. The report notes that over 70% of US venture capital funding is currently directed towards AI startups, emphasizing the shift of AI from speculative investment to a priority for institutional capital.
This evolving narrative around AI reflects broader societal concerns and aspirations, as companies navigate the complex intersection of innovation, accountability, and public trust. As the media landscape continues to shape perceptions, the implications for AI governance and industry practices will remain critical in the coming years.
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