A trip to showcase the "national embarrassment" of indigenous academic excellence became something closer to being "India's national embarrassment" Wednesday, as Galgotias University was ordered to vacate its pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The expulsion came after a viral controversy involving a robotic dog that the university allegedly rebranded as an in-house creation.
India AI Impact Summit 2026
What started as a showpiece for local excellence turned into a "national embarrassment" on Wednesday. At the revered Bharat Mandapam, the summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said it was an expression of the country’s growing prowess in artificial intelligence. But a lot of the attention switched to the Galgotias stall for all the wrong reasons.
The "Orion" Fiasco
The controversy unfolded when a video of Professor Neha Singh from Galgotias University went viral. In this clip, she is seen introducing a quadruped robot called "Orion." She directly said that such a robot was "developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University," and related it to the school's big ₹350 crore investment in AI.
It was a claim easily fact-checked by tech enthusiasts and netizens. Within hours, the “Orion” was revealed to be the Unitree Go2, a commercially available robot made by a Chinese company, Unitree Robotics, that can be bought online for around $2,800 (₹2.3 lakh).
The Fallout: Power Woes and Vacant Stalls
Following the rise of the “Chinese Robodog” on social media and harsh criticism of the robot from opposition leaders, government officials moved swiftly. The university was asked to leave the expo to maintain the summit's integrity as a platform for domestic innovation, sources said.
- Power Cut: Several reports emerged that power to the Galgotias pavilion was cut off soon before they were instructed to leave.
- The Exit: The pavilion was largely empty by Wednesday afternoon. The "Orion" robot itself was conspicuously removed from the display, although some university representatives initially denied having received a formal directive.
The University’s Defense
In an overnight clarification, Galgotias University altered its stand, saying it was a "misinterpretation." An official statement on X (formerly Twitter) said they had never said they made the robot.
“Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we claimed to do so,” they said. “What we’re building are minds that will shortly in Bharat come together to design and manufacture these kinds of technologies,” the statement read.
They explained the Unitree robot had been obtained as a “classroom in motion” to aid students in how to program AI using globally available tools.
Political and Global Backlash
The episode has given political critics ammunition. The Congress party called the event a “disorganized PR spectacle” and alleged the government was promoting Chinese technology within India under the guise of Indian innovation. It’s been reported that Chinese media have ridiculed the incident, adding to the pressure on summit organizers.
However, the Galgotias moment is a reminder, still, that as the India AI Impact Summit continues through February 20, the boundary between making use of global tools for education and claiming them as indigenous breakthroughs is very thin.
