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 started 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.
Her interview gained 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 about $2,200. Social media users accused the university of labeling an imported product as original innovation, sparking a wave of backlash during the high-profile gathering.
However, following the backlash, Galgotias University denied the claims of ownership of the robot’s hardware, saying the emphasis was on training students in artificial intelligence programming using globally available tools.
Later, the professor also clarified that her comments had been misunderstood and that she may not have communicated transparently.
The incident gained further attention after India’s IT minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, shared the video on her official X account (formerly known as Twitter) before deleting the post.
After the widespread backlash, the university was asked to vacate the exhibition booth, although faculty members said they had received no formal notice of eviction.
