Organizers pulled the plug on Galgotias University’s exhibition booth after a viral video exposed their “indigenous” robot as a commercially available Chinese product.
What was meant to be a showcase of India’s soaring artificial intelligence capabilities resulted in a humiliating expulsion for a local university. Galgotias University was instructed to pack up and leave the India AI Impact Summit after falsely promoting a Chinese-manufactured robot dog as a product of its own research and development.
The controversy began when a university representative proudly introduced the robot, dubbed “Orion,” on state television. The official claimed the machine was developed by the university’s Centre of Excellence. However, technology experts quickly identified the quadruped as a Unitree Go2, a robotic dog produced by a Chinese tech firm and widely available for purchase online for around $2,200.
Lights Out on the Expo Floor
The backlash was immediate and severe. Recognizing the reputational risk to a summit attended by over 100 global delegations and top industry executives, organizers took decisive action. Observers noted that the power supply to the Galgotias University stall was abruptly severed, and staff members vacated the premises shortly after.
In its defense, the university issued a statement vehemently denying that it ever claimed to have manufactured the physical robot. Instead, the institution argued that the backlash was a coordinated smear campaign. Officials stated that the robot was purchased to teach students real-world AI programming skills, noting that developing artificial intelligence talent is the “need of an hour.”
The faculty member at the center of the storm later told the press that her enthusiastic presentation had been misconstrued. Nonetheless, Indian IT Secretary S Krishnan reinforced that the summit’s integrity must be protected.
It is essential that a proper code of conduct is followed. There are other countries and other participants involved as well.
SOURCES: Global AI Impact Summit Organizers, IT Secretary Briefings, Unitree Product Listings.
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