An Indian university faced backlash following the unveiling of a robot dog at a prominent artificial intelligence summit, initially presented as an in-house creation but later revealed by social media users to be a Chinese-manufactured product.
During a broadcast on Indian state-run DD News, a communications professor from Galgotias University introduced the quadruped robot named “Orion” as a creation of the institution’s Centre of Excellence. However, online users later identified the robot as the Unitree Go2, produced by Unitree Robotics and available internationally for research and educational purposes at a price of approximately $2,800.
The incident sparked swift criticism on social media, further fueled after India’s Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, shared a video of the demonstration on his official account, only to delete the post later.
Galgotias University clarified that it did not claim to have developed the robot. In a statement released on X platform, the university explained that while it did not manufacture the device, its focus was on training students to create and innovate similar technologies. Despite allegations of misrepresentation, the university’s exhibition booth continued to be operational, with representatives addressing media inquiries as reported by AFP.
The opposition party Indian National Congress condemned the incident, calling it detrimental to India’s global reputation in the field of artificial intelligence. In a statement on X platform, the party criticized the Modi government for allegedly showcasing Chinese robots as domestically produced at the ongoing AI summit, portraying India in a negative light on the global stage.