New Delhi (IANS): A Noida-based private university, which found itself in a tight spot over flaunting a Chinese robotic dog as its own at the ongoing AI Impact Summit, has been directed to pack up and leave the expo immediately, top government sources said.
The move comes after a huge social media uproar and backlash over the depiction of a Chinese robotic dog at its pavilion in the Expo. The University, in its defence, however, clarified that this was an endeavour to acquaint and equip its students with the latest innovations in Artificial Intelligence, and it never claimed the robot as its own product.
Social media users, however, were unrestrained in castigating the University and demanded that it own up to the fiasco and issue an apology for creating national embarrassment. The issue also found resonance in the Chinese media, as it mocked the Indian university for copying its technological innovations and promoting the Chinese robot as its own.
The controversy broke out after Galgotias University showcased a surveillance robotic dog named “Orion” at the ongoing AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam. A video of the University representative, explaining the robot’s features during interaction with the media, went viral, only to be fact-checked as it was actually a China-made robodog.
In the video clip, the University’s representative told the reporter that the robot was built at its Centre of Excellence. The social media users were quick to identify that the gadget was an AI-powered Chinese dog, sourced from Unitree Go2, but the university was brazenly passing off this foreign technology as homegrown innovation.
As the University found itself at the centre of a storm, it termed the uproar as “negative propaganda” and claimed that it routinely brings technological advancements from around the world to expose its students to cutting-edge innovations, with a focus on building indigenous capabilities.
“The recently acquired robodog from Unitree is one such step in that journey. It is not merely a machine on display; it is a classroom in motion. Our students are experimenting with it, testing its limits and, in the process, expanding their own knowledge. Let us be clear: Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we ever claimed to,” the university said in a statement posted on X.
The University’s attempt to damage control over the embarrassing fiasco seems to have done little to soothe the frayed nerves, prompting stern action from the government, as the opposition has already upped the ante over mismanagement and untidy arrangements at the AI expo.
After the organisers directed the Galgotias University to vacate the AI Impact Summit Expo for causing a ‘national embarrassment’, professors from the university on Wednesday clarified their stand.
Stating that they never pitched the Chinese AI-powered robodog as its own, the professors said that the matter was blown out of proportion on social media and the whole episode emanated over a small misinterpretation, which was “unintended and unintentional”.
Speaking to IANS, Professor Neha Singh said the controversy arose due to miscommunication while she was explaining the robot’s capabilities. She said she intended to highlight how students were studying the robot and working on further development, not to falsely claim ownership.
“I was explaining what the robot can do, its features, and all related details. Somewhere along the way, the message got slightly digressed, and later, many things became controversial. The purpose was for students to study the robot and further develop it, contributing to a stronger and more Viksit Bharat. That was our full intention. Unfortunately, due to the surrounding excitement and hype, some things got misrepresented, and the words were slightly misinterpreted, which led to this controversy. We are genuinely embarrassed about it and feel bad that this happened at the AI Summit, which was meant to showcase our students’ work,” she said.
She clarified that the robot was brought to the expo as part of a research and learning exercise. “We have taken that robot for studying it and doing research. It was in the lab, and it was brought here for projection. After the controversy, I will show everyone what our students have made,” she added.
Professor Aishwarya Srivastava also spoke to IANS and said the university regretted that the issue had been miscommunicated. She said the institution had participated in the summit to showcase student projects and had no intention of harming India’s image. “We regret that it has been miscommunicated. We came here to showcase the work of our students, and we are not in any way trying to tarnish India’s image. Our university aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision and mission. We are working towards an ” Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” she said. Srivastava added that the university was not offering an apology but acknowledged that the matter was misunderstood.
