With Galgotias robot dog row, ‘AI-washing’ comes full circle for India

The controversy involving Galgotias University showcasing a Chinese-manufactured robot dog as its own product on February 17 at the India AI Impact Summit underway in Delhi calls to mind how “greenwashing” by giant corporations has been expanded to the current hype, artificial intelligence.

Many years ago, multinational companies discovered that sustainability was a buzzword, even as they were destroying forests, polluting rivers and seas, and their executives were flying in to work on private jets. But they had to tell their customers, as well as regulators and society at large, that they cared about the environment.

So corporations began promoting paper straws and cloth bags. They bought carbon credits and installed some solar facilities on their premises. They led tree-planting drives in cities while stripping large swathes of the Amazon and Sumatran forests. This practice is now known as “greenwashing,” where companies exaggerate their commitments to sustainability and the environment.

Now, companies have discovered a new and analogous practice: AI-washing. Here, they exaggerate artificial intelligence capabilities, often at great cost to their customers, investors and even society.

Delhi: Professor of Galgotias University, Neha Singh says, "....Our university aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision and mission. We are working towards a Aatmanirbhar Bharat..." pic.twitter.com/a2tlVNYSvP— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 18, 2026

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