An Indian university is facing severe backlash after a professor presented a Chinese-made robotic dog as the university’s own creation at an AI summit in Delhi.
The controversy began when Neha Singh, a professor at Galgotias University, told state broadcaster DD News that a robot named “Orion” had been developed at the university’s Center of Excellence.
His interview attracted attention when netizens identified the robot as the Go2 model developed by Unitree Robotics.
The robot, widely used in research and education, is commercially available for around $2,200. Social media users accused the university of passing off an imported product as a local innovation, sparking a wave of backlash at the high-profile gathering.
However, following the backlash, Galgotias University denied claims of ownership of the robot’s hardware, saying the focus was on training students in artificial intelligence programming using globally available tools.
Later, the professor also clarified that her comments were misunderstood and that she may not have communicated transparently.
The incident gained further attention after Indian IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the video on his official X account (formerly known as Twitter) before deleting the post.
After the widespread backlash, the university was asked to vacate the exhibition stand, although professors said they had received no official notice of expulsion.
