Galgotias University Removed From AI Expo for Showcasing Chinese Robot as Own Innovation

Following the development, IT secretary S Krishnan said that the government does not want any exhibitor to showcase items that are not their own. “We do not want such exhibits to continue,” he said, after organisers asked Galgotias University to vacate its stall. He, however, emphasised that the government would not tolerate exhibits misrepresented as original creations.

The controversy over Galgotias’ robotic display erupted immediately after the social media users quickly identified the robot as the Unitree Go2, sold by China’s Unitree Robotics for about $2,800 and widely used in research and education globally. Thereafter, the university officials faced online backlash when critics alleged that the machine was China-made and not an in-house innovation.

Further, the embarrassment was amplified by IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who shared the video clip on his official social media account before the backlash and then the post was later deleted. However, the sources with knowledge of the matter also said that as the controversy spread like wildfire, the organisers of university were ordered to vacate the expo immediately, and later they vacated the stall from the venue following the government’s order.

When Galgotias University faced a sharp accusations of misrepresenting imported technology as its own, the institution later defended it and issued a statement saying that the robotic programming is part of our endeavour to make students learn AI programming and develop and deploy real world skills using globally available tools and resources, given developing AI talent is the need of the hour.

“Our faculty and students were deeply pained by the propaganda campaign against the institution and our vision is focused on student learning and innovation, and that it provides students access to modern technologies to help them gain practical experience and prepare for the future. Spreading negativity can harm the morale of students, who are working hard to innovate, learn and build their skills using global technologies,” the varsity said in its statement.

However, Professor Neha Singh of Galgotias University maintained, saying that the controversy happened because things may not have been expressed clearly and the intent may not have been properly understood. “Regarding the robot dog, we cannot claim that we manufactured it. I have told everyone that we introduced it to our students to inspire them to create something better on their own. Our university contributes to building future leaders by providing cutting-edge technologies in the field of AI, and it will continue to do so,” she said.

Earlier in the day, the university also said that the exercise was aimed at imparting hands-on AI programming skills using globally available platforms and tools. On the ground, the university's stall at the expo had no display on Wednesday. On reports that the government had asked the university to vacate the expo area, she also said that she had no information about that. “What I know is that today we are all present here,” she said.

After the controversy, Private university Galgotias Galgotias University apologised for the confusion created at the AI Impact Summit, stating that the person “manning the pavilion was ill-informed”. “She (the Professor) was not aware of the technical origins of the products and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information even though she was not authorised to speak to the press,” the university said in a statement.

The company said that it has vacated the premises "understanding the organiser's sentiment. “There was "no institutional intent to misrepresent this innovation," the university said it remains firmly committed to academic integrity, transparency and responsible representations of its work.