Galgotias University issued an apology and vacated its exhibition stall at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi after a controversy erupted over a robotic dog displayed at its pavilion, following a viral video in which a university representative appeared to describe the machine as developed at the institution.
The incident drew attention from central government officials, who warned exhibitors against displaying products as their own if they were sourced elsewhere, and said misinformation or plagiarism would not be encouraged at the event.
Viral video triggers scrutiny
In a video recorded at the summit, Professor Neha Singh was heard describing the robotic dog, identified as “Orion”, and saying it had been developed at the university’s Centre of Excellence. The video spread widely on social media, prompting users to claim the machine resembled commercially available quadruped robots manufactured by a Chinese robotics company.
Following the backlash, the university issued a clarification stating it had not built the robodog and that the machine had been acquired as part of its artificial intelligence learning initiatives.
“Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we claimed to do so. What we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies here in Bharat,” the university said in an initial statement.
The university added that the robot was intended to help students experiment with programming and real-world AI deployment using globally available tools and technologies.
Government response at summit
Officials from the Information Technology ministry said the government expected genuine representation from exhibitors participating in the summit.
“We don’t want controversy around exhibits here. Plagiarism, misinformation cannot be encouraged. This should not overshadow the wonderful exhibits others have put on,” IT Secretary S Krishnan said at a press briefing.
Another senior official stated that the main issue was that the university had “misled” visitors by presenting the exhibit in a manner that suggested it was an institutional creation.
Authorities subsequently asked the university to vacate its stall at the expo, according to officials familiar with the matter. The university later confirmed it had left the premises.
University apology and internal explanation
In a later statement, Galgotias University apologised for the “confusion” created during the summit and attributed the incident to an “ill-informed” representative.
“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,” the statement said.
The university added that it vacated the premises in view of the organisers’ concerns.
In a separate communication, the institution also said it was facing what it described as a “propaganda campaign” and stressed that its focus remained on student learning, innovation, and providing access to modern technologies.
Registrar issues additional clarification
In remarks reported by ANI, the university’s registrar Nitin Kumar Gaur said the institution had purchased the robotic dog for student research and experimentation and had not developed the machine.
“This is a jumble of two words, develop, and development. We didn’t develop it. We worked on its development… We want to bring them, just like that robot was brought, and an effort was made to get students to do research on it… I can say that perhaps she might have been confused by the words ‘develop’ and ‘development’ in the flow. But the truth is that we bought this robot for children’s research… If China is making the claim, then maybe it could be bought from China… I haven’t received any such official communication yet (on vacating the expo)…”
Professor expresses regret
Professor Neha Singh later expressed regret over the remarks, saying the comments were not clearly articulated and were made amid the rush and excitement of the event.
“I could have been more eloquent. I could have been more articulate. Because of the euphoria and rush, things went a little hither-thither, which was never the intention,” she said in an interview at the venue.
She added that the controversy stemmed from hurried communication rather than any intention to falsely claim ownership of the machine.
Advisory issued to exhibitors
Following the episode, officials reiterated that participants at government-backed exhibitions must ensure that displayed technologies are accurately represented.
“Exhibitors must not display items that are not theirs,” the IT Secretary said, issuing a broader warning in the aftermath of the incident.
The summit, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, brought together technology companies, academic institutions and startups to showcase artificial intelligence innovations and research initiatives.
