Galgotias University registrar Nitin Kumar Gaur defended the institution on Thursday and confirmed that Professor Neha Singh, who introduced the Chinese robot dog as the university’s own at the AI Impact Summit, had not been suspended pending an investigation.
Speaking to DD News this week, Singh, a professor of communication, said, “You have to meet Orion. It was developed by the Center of Excellence at Galgotias University.” This led to controversy, with many on social media identifying that the robot was actually a Chinese Unitree Go2 rather than an original in-house development.
What did the Registrar of the University of Galgotias say?
“She is not suspended and has been told to stay… Until a full investigation is completed as to why such a mistake happened, such proceedings will continue… Because of one person’s wrongdoing, the entire university should not be questioned… We are also citizens of India and we definitely want our country to move forward,” ANI quoted Gaura as saying.
He said the university had already issued its explanation for the incident, acknowledging it was a mistake and expressing regret. He emphasized that neither the reputation of the university nor the country should be damaged.
The university has withdrawn its stall from the India AI Impact Summit and will conduct a thorough investigation to find out how the error occurred and take steps to ensure that similar issues do not occur in the future, Gaur mentioned. He noted that it would be unacceptable if a single mistake was allowed to damage the institution’s image.
The opposition criticizes the government and calls the incident a “shame”
Congress leader Pawan Khera targeted the government over the ‘robodog’ incident at the AI Impact Summit. In a post on X, he claimed that the event, which was supposed to be a platform for AI innovation and the exchange of ideas, had been reduced to a “cheap Chinese bazaar”. Khera also attacked Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, suggesting that in India AI now means “Ashwini is incompetent”, and described the summit as turning into a “Jhappi-Pappi Fest”, attaching a video highlighting his criticism.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi described the incident at the AI summit as a “disgrace” and highlighted the considerable damage caused. She criticized Galgotias University for presenting the Chinese robot as its own invention. Chaturvedi added that the dispute could have been avoided if a thorough check on the credibility of participating companies, universities and start-ups had been done before allotment of pavilions.
“The damage it has done to India and the summit is great. Asking the university to vacate its pavilion was a good move, I feel they must also be punished severely,” she said.
IT Minister S Krishnan reacts
After the row, IT minister S Krishnan emphasized that the government did not want any exhibitor to present items that were not truly their own. He noted that the organizers asked Galgotias University to vacate its stand to avoid misleading displays and avoid potential controversies, as reported by PTI.
The India AI Impact Summit, a five-day event that has been extended by one more day, is built on three core pillars or “sutras”: People, Planet and Progress. The summit brings together policymakers, technology firms, innovators, academia and industry leaders to translate global AI discussions into practical development outcomes under the IndiaAI mission and Digital India initiative.