NEW DELHI – The prestigious India AI Impact Summit 2026 took an unexpected turn on Wednesday when Galgotias University was ordered to immediately dismantle its pavilion. The action followed a viral video of Professor Neha Singh, a communications faculty member, introducing a robotic dog named “Orion” as a product “developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University.”
Sharp-eyed tech enthusiasts on social media quickly identified the robot as the Unitree Go2, a mass-produced quadruped developed by the Chinese firm Unitree Robotics, available for approximately ₹2.5–3 lakh.
Timeline of the Controversy
- Tuesday, Feb 17: Professor Neha Singh tells media that “Orion” was developed in-house as part of a ₹350 crore AI investment. The video goes viral, triggering a massive fact-check by the online community.
- Tuesday Night: The university issues a defensive statement, calling the backlash a “propaganda campaign” and claiming they never said they built it, despite the on-camera evidence.
- Wednesday Morning, Feb 18: Ministry of IT (MeitY) officials intervene. The government reportedly cuts power to the Galgotias stall and orders the university to vacate for “misleading the public.”
- Wednesday Evening: Galgotias University issues a “profuse apology,” shifting the blame entirely onto Professor Neha Singh.
The Blame Game: “Ill-Informed” and “Camera Shy”
In its third and final statement, the university administration apologized for the “confusion” and pinned the error on Professor Singh’s desire for media attention.
“One of our representatives… 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,” the university stated.
Professor Singh, whose LinkedIn profile has since been updated to “Open to Work,” expressed regret, stating her remarks were “not clearly articulated” due to the “euphoria and rush” of the event.
Official Stance from MeitY
IT Secretary S. Krishnan made it clear that the summit is a platform for genuine domestic innovation.
- Zero Tolerance for Plagiarism: “Exhibitors must not display items that are not theirs,” Krishnan warned.
- National Image: Officials noted that with over 20 Heads of State and 500 global AI leaders present, such misrepresentation could “damage national credibility.”