A robotic dog made in China gets an Indian university kicked out of an AI summit
NEW DELHI– A private Indian university was kicked out of an artificial intelligence summit in New Delhi on Wednesday after one of its employees displayed a commercially available Chinese-made robotic dog, claiming it was the university’s own innovation.
According to two government officials, Galgotias University was ordered to remove its booth at the summit a day after the university’s communications professor Neha Singh told state broadcaster DD News that the Orion robot dog was developed by the university’s Center of Excellence.
However, netizens quickly identified the robot as the Unitree Go2, sold by Chinese company Unitree Robotics with a starting price of $1,600 and widely used in research and education.
On Wednesday, Singh told reporters that she never explicitly claimed the dog was a creation of the university, but only an exhibit.
The incident was embarrassing for host country India, the two government officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
In a statement released Tuesday, Galgotias said the university was “deeply pained” and described the incident as a “propaganda campaign” that could spread negativity and harm the morale of students who strive to innovate, learn and develop their skills using global technologies.
Then, in a new statement released Wednesday, the university apologized for the confusion and said that Singh, its representative at the AI summit pavilion, was not authorized to speak to the media and was “misinformed.”
“She was unaware of the technical origins of the product and, in her excitement about being filmed, gave factually incorrect information,” he added.
It was not immediately clear whether the university had removed its summit booth.
Still, the episode underscores the high stakes for India as it attempts to present itself as a global hub for AI and advanced manufacturing, attracting billions of dollars in investment while emphasizing credibility and homegrown innovation.
The summit began Monday with some organizational issues, with attendees and exhibitors reporting long lines and delays at the venue. Several exhibitors complained on social networks about the theft of their personal effects and products on display. Organizers later said the items were recovered and returned.
The India AI Impact Summit, billed as a flagship event in the Global South, brings together at least 20 heads of state and government, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver a speech on Thursday.
Also expected to attend are Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft President Brad Smith and AMI Labs Executive Chairman Yann LeCun.
