India’s AI Summit Scandal: Claims of Homegrown Robot Exposed as Chinese Copycat

A significant incident occurred at a major artificial intelligence summit in New Delhi, where an Indian professor falsely claimed that a showcased robotic dog from China was developed by her university, leading to widespread ridicule online.

According to two government officials, Neha Singh, a professor in the communications department, announced during an interview with the state-owned broadcaster DD News that the robotic dog, named Orion, was a product of Galgotias University. The summit organizers requested the removal of the university’s exhibit the following day after this claim.

However, it was quickly identified that the robotic dog was actually the Unitree Go2, manufactured by the Chinese company Unitree Robotics, which has a starting price of just $1,600 AUD. This model is widely used in research and educational settings.

In response to the backlash, Galgotias University clarified that while they did not develop the robotic dog, they are training students who will soon be capable of designing, developing, and manufacturing such technologies.

“You must meet Orion,” Singh told a reporter from an Indian television network, as the robotic dog was seen performing tricks, waving, and standing on its hind legs. She further promoted the university’s investment in artificial intelligence technologies, stating, “You can see it can perform various actions… it is quite playful.”

The university later issued a statement on the social media platform X, clarifying, “We explicitly state that Galgotias University did not manufacture this robotic dog, nor have we ever claimed to.” It emphasized that the recently acquired Unitree Robotics dog serves as a “mobile classroom” for students conducting experiments and tests.

After the controversy, Singh admitted to reporters on Wednesday that “some things may not have been clearly expressed.” She acknowledged, “I did not convey the information accurately.”

Opposition parties described the incident as embarrassing for India. Vaidik Mishra, a student at Galgotias University, expressed disappointment, stating, “We were hopeful that this summit would provide us a platform to showcase our startup projects. Now everyone is saying we lied about our capabilities in robotics, which is not true; it was simply a misunderstanding.”

Two anonymous government officials indicated that this situation has caused a loss of face for India as the host country, although they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The AI summit was promoted as a flagship event for the Global South, with attendance from at least 20 heads of state and government leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Other expected attendees include Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Microsoft President Brad Smith, and AMI Labs Executive Chairman Yann LeCun.

The Congress Party, India’s opposition, criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was hosting delegations from numerous countries during the five-day summit. They stated, “The Modi government has made India a laughingstock in the global AI arena. They even passed off a Chinese robot as a domestic achievement at this ongoing AI summit.”

They added that it was a shameful incident, labeling it as “shameless.”

The summit opened on Monday, but reports of organizational issues surfaced, with attendees and exhibitors complaining about long queues and delays in entry. Several exhibitors also reported thefts of personal items and displays, though the organizers later confirmed that the items had been recovered and returned.

Modi is scheduled to address the summit on Thursday. During an interview, television reporter Tapas Bhattachary urged viewers to consider a broader perspective on this matter, stating, “If one out of hundreds of exhibitors fails to accurately present their innovations, it should not negate the incredible ingenuity of India’s young generation.”