University Expelled from AI Summit Over Misrepresented Robot Dog
An Indian university has been forced to vacate its exhibition stall at this week's flagship AI Impact Summit after falsely claiming to have developed a robotic dog that was actually manufactured in China. The incident has sparked significant controversy at an event designed to showcase India's technological ambitions and self-reliance.
False Claims and Swift Exposure
Galgotias University, based in Greater Noida near Delhi, displayed a four-legged robot branded "Orion" at the government-backed AI Impact Summit. In footage widely circulated on social media, a university representative described the robot as a product "developed" by one of their industry-collaborative hubs. The staff member appeared to tell reporters that the device demonstrated the "university's emphasis on hands-on, real world AI deployment" and claimed it had been "developed at the Centre for Excellence at Galgotias University."
However, online users quickly identified the device as the Unitree Go2, a commercially available robotic dog manufactured by Chinese company Unitree and sold in India for approximately £2,000 to £3,000. The university faced immediate accusations of attempting to pass off imported hardware as an indigenous product at an event specifically intended to highlight India's technological capabilities.
Removal and Denial
On Wednesday morning, staff from Galgotias University were observed vacating their stall after the Press Trust of India reported that power had been cut to their section. Government sources indicated the university had been ordered to clear out, though university officials denied receiving any formal directive. Following the online controversy, the university posted a statement on social media platform X admitting the robot dog had been purchased from Unitree and was being used as a learning tool for students.
The university denied claiming to have "built" the robotic dog, stating: "What we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies right here in Bharat (India)." This explanation did little to quell the criticism from summit organizers and the public.
Official Criticism and Defense
Abhishek Singh, chief executive of the India AI Mission and one of the summit organizers, criticized the university for creating controversy while "the whole world" was watching. He told Mint newspaper: "The main problem is they claimed to be something they are not. They misled."
Professor Neha Singh, the university employee seen in the video claiming Galgotias had "developed" the dog, defended the situation as a misunderstanding. She told NDTV: "'Mislead' is a strong word... by one misinterpretation, the internet has gone by storm. It might be that I could not convey well what I had wanted to say, or you could not understand well what I wanted to say."
Broader Summit Context
The incident occurred at the AI Impact Summit, the first event of its kind in the global South, designed to position India as a rising force in artificial intelligence amid dominance by the United States and China. With over 600 startups and hundreds of exhibition pavilions showcasing AI tools across sectors from healthcare to defense, the government aimed to present the summit as evidence of India's growing technological self-reliance.
The event attracted over 250,000 registered attendees to the massive 123-acre venue in central Delhi. The first day was marked by organizational challenges including confusion, traffic problems, and concerns about long queues. These issues appeared to ease somewhat by Tuesday, prompting the Indian government to extend the summit by an additional day to accommodate more participants.
The controversy surrounding Galgotias University's misrepresentation has cast a shadow over India's efforts to showcase genuine innovation and technological advancement on the global stage.
