AI summit scandal: Indian university presents Chinese robodog as its own
‘Truly embarrassing for India’: Congress blasts Modi govt over summit fiasco
#IndianAISummit_Liars
New Delhi: India’s flagship artificial intelligence (AI) summit has been overshadowed by controversy after a local university was caught presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog as the institution’s own innovation, triggering massive backlash and political storm.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Galgotias University, based in Noida, displayed a robotic dog at the India AI Impact Summit, claiming it had been developed at the university’s Center of Excellence. During a segment aired by state-run DD News, Professor Neha Singh introduced the robot, named “Orion,” as an in-house creation.
However, social media users quickly identified the device as the Unitree Go2, a commercially available robotic dog manufactured by China’s Unitree Robotics and sold globally for around $2,800 for research and educational purposes.
The controversy escalated rapidly, prompting summit organizers to kick out the Galgotias University from the expo.
The incident drew further attention when Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the promotional video on his official social media account — a post that was later deleted amid mounting criticism.
The episode has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on India’s technological ambitions, particularly as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts nearly 20 world leaders and numerous international delegations at the five-day summit.
Seizing on the controversy, the opposition Congress party sharply criticized the BJP-led Indian government, “The Modi government has made a laughing stock of India globally, with regard to AI. In the ongoing AI summit, Chinese robots are being displayed as our own,” the party wrote in a post on X. “This is truly embarrassing for India,” it added, calling the incident “brazenly shameless”.
The India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, which runs until Saturday, has already faced organizational difficulities, with delegates reporting overcrowding and logistical disruptions since its opening on Monday. The robotic dog controversy has now added to the growing scrutiny surrounding the high-profile event.
