The Middle East and Africa emerged as the least sceptical region globally towards artificial intelligence data centres, according to an analysis by media intelligence firm CARMA reported by Gulf Business. The study, presented during CARMA's Energy Industry Webinar on September 30, 2026, analysed coverage from January to August across more than 800 outlets in over 50 markets, sampling over 21,000 articles and 18,000 social media posts.
According to CARMA's regional sentiment comparison, the Middle East and Africa registered 44 per cent optimistic sentiment and 56 per cent sceptical sentiment, making it the least sceptical region. The Americas followed at 41 per cent optimistic, while Asia Pacific stood at 29 per cent. Europe was the most sceptical market, recording 84 per cent sceptical and 16 per cent optimistic coverage. The UAE showed one of the highest proportions of positive sentiment among the 15 charted national markets.
Globally, neutral coverage dominated the discussion, but negative sentiment outweighed positive coverage overall. Traditional media coverage stood at 68 per cent neutral, 24 per cent negative, and 8 per cent positive, while social media reflected greater negativity, with 39 per cent negative, 53 per cent neutral, and 8 per cent positive posts. Headlines remained predominantly neutral; both the Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific recorded 70 per cent neutral headlines and 2 per cent alarmist headlines, compared to 12 per cent alarmist in the Americas and 29 per cent highly critical in Europe.
CARMA identified resource usage as the most discussed theme worldwide, followed by grid capacity, the race for power, and resource strain. While resource usage coverage remained largely neutral, commentary focused on resource strain leaned heavily negative. Additional recurring global themes included sovereign AI ambitions.
Sources
- Gulf Business · 2026-10-30
