IT secretary S Krishnan (ANI image)
NEW DELHI: IT secretary S Krishnan on Wednesday said that exhibitors at the AI Impact Summit must not display items that do not belong to them, as a controversy continued over a Chinese-made robotic dog showcased by Galgotias University.“Exhibitors must not display items that are not their,” Krishnan said, amid questions over the display of the robot at the summit venue in New Delhi, news agency PTI reported.
The controversy erupted during the AI Impact Summit 2026, held at Bharat Mandapam after a robotic dog exhibited by the university under the name “Orion” was identified as the Unitree Go2, a commercially available quadruped robot manufactured by Chinese firm Unitree Robotics and sold in India for around Rs 2–3 lakh.The summit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is positioned as a flagship event to showcase India’s advancements in artificial intelligence. The display drew criticism as the machine was alleged to have been presented as an in-house innovation at an event focused on promoting domestic AI capabilities.Government sources earlier said that the university was asked to vacate its stall following the row, and its pavilion’s power supply was reportedly cut off after it was directed to leave the expo. In a press statement issued after being asked to vacate the premises, the university expressed regret over the confusion and said it arose because Professor Neha Singh, who was managing the stall, was unaware of the product’s technical origins.“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… Understanding the organisers’ sentiment we have vacated the premises,” the statement read.The issue escalated after Professor Singh, while presenting the robot to DD News, said, “We are the first private university investing more than 350 crore rupees in artificial intelligence… So Orion has been developed by the Center of Excellences and as you can see, it can take all shapes and sizes.” She also described the robot as capable of surveillance and monitoring tasks.Her remarks triggered scrutiny after observers recognised the machine as an off-the-shelf product sold globally by Unitree Robotics.In an earlier clarification, the university said it had neither built nor claimed to have built the robotic dog, and that its objective was to help students learn using globally available technologies.“Let us be clear – Galgotias has not built this robodog, neither have we claimed. But what we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies right here in Bharat,” it said.Professor Singh later said the controversy stemmed from a lack of clarity in communication and that the university had introduced the robot to inspire students, not to claim manufacturing credit.
