Galgotias University Asked to Exit AI Summit Over Chinese Robodog Row

New Delhi: A Noida-based private university has been directed to withdraw from the ongoing India AI Impact Summit following controversy over its display of a Chinese-made robotic dog at the expo, according to senior government sources.

The action comes amid widespread criticism on social media, where users accused the university of presenting a Chinese surveillance robot as an indigenous innovation. The controversy erupted after the institution showcased a robotic dog named “Orion” at its pavilion at Bharat Mandapam.

A video circulating online showed a university representative stating that the robot had been developed at its Centre of Excellence. However, fact-checks later identified the device as the Unitree Go2, manufactured by Chinese robotics company Unitree Robotics. Social media users alleged that foreign technology was being misrepresented as a domestic breakthrough.

The issue gained further traction after sections of Chinese media reportedly mocked the university for allegedly copying and promoting Chinese technology as its own.

In response to the backlash, the university described the criticism as “negative propaganda” and clarified that it had never claimed to have built the robotic dog. In a statement posted on X, it said the acquisition of the Unitree robodog was intended to expose students to cutting-edge global technologies and foster indigenous capability development. The institution emphasised that the device was being used as a learning tool, not presented as an in-house creation.

Despite the clarification, the damage-control efforts appear to have fallen short. With opposition parties already criticising the management and arrangements at the summit, the controversy reportedly prompted swift government intervention.

An official statement from the university regarding its removal from the expo is still awaited.

With inputs from IANS