After days of online outrage and a public exit from the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, Galgotias University has apologised for the confusion surrounding a Chinese-made robotic dog displayed at its pavilion, saying a representative gave “factually incorrect information” “in her enthusiasm of being on camera”.
The Greater Noida-based university, which faced accusations of passing off an imported device as its own innovation, said the staff member who spoke to the media was “ill-informed” and not authorised to do so.
“We at Galgotias University, wish to apologise profusely for the confusion created at the recent AI Summit. One of our representatives, manning the pavilion, was ill-informed. She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information even though she was not authorised to speak to the press,” the university said in a press release dated February 18.
The row erupted after a video went viral on social media claiming that a university professor, Neha Singh, had presented the Unitree Go2 — an AI-powered robotic dog manufactured by Chinese firm Unitree and sold online for USD 2,800, roughly Rs 2.3 lakh, under the name “Orion” at the summit.
Several users alleged that the institution had showcased the device as an indigenously developed product. The controversy triggered sharp criticism online, with questions raised about academic integrity and transparency.
In an earlier statement posted on X, the university said the robodog had been procured from Unitree and was being used as a teaching tool.
“The recently acquired robodog from Unitree is one such step in that journey. It is not merely a machine on display; it is a classroom in motion. Our students are experimenting with it, testing its limits and, in the process, expanding their own knowledge. Let us be clear: Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we ever claimed to,” the statement said.
Government sources said the university was asked to exit the AI Summit immediately following the controversy. The institution, however, maintained that it did not receive any such order from the government.
In its latest press release, Galgotias said it had vacated the premises in view of the organisers’ sentiment. “Understanding the organisers sentiment we have vacated the premises,” it said.
The clarification itself drew scrutiny after an X community note contested the university’s claim that it had not presented the robodog as its own.
“They have named the robot ‘Orion’ and explicitly claimed it was developed by their team,” the community note said, calling the university’s position “incorrect and misleading”.
As the debate continues online, the university has insisted there was “no institutional intent to misrepresent this innovation” and reiterated its commitment to “academic integrity, transparency, and responsible representation of our work”.
