AI Summit robodog fiasco | 'Shame, cheap PR': Oppn slams Modi govt amid Galgotias University RoboDog row

New Delhi: Noida-based Galgotias University was on Wednesday asked to leave the expo associated with the ‘India AI Impact Summit’ after it came under fire for displaying a Chinese-made robodog as their own and the government faced backlash from the Opposition.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi took to ‘X’ to say, “instead of leveraging India’s talent and data, the AI summit is a disorganised PR spectacle - Indian data up for sale, Chinese products showcased” even as government sources said the university was asked to vacate “immediately”.

Adding more drama, Youth Congress claimed on ‘X’ that the private university also displayed ‘Striker V3 ARF from Korea’ as its own Drone Soccer, which was “built from scratch on campus”. 

Though initially university representatives claimed that they have no intimation to vacate, authorities cut power supply to the pavilion, forcing them to finally leave.

The latest episode came close on the heels of the summit attracting negative publicity on Monday following attendees complaining about patchy mobile and internet networks, overcrowding in hallways, limited access to basic amenities as well as security measures for Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeping them stranded at the venue.

The Galgotias University faced online backlash on Tuesday for showcasing a robotic dog labeled ‘Orion’ at the AI Summit expo even as it came to light that it was Chinese-made ‘Unitree Go2’. It was also in headlines for wrong reasons during the Lok Sabha polls when its students, purportedly at the behest of varsity authorities, protested at the Congress headquarters.

As the controversy raged, Prof Neha Singh of the University on Wednesday said she took responsibility as she perhaps might not have communicated properly. “As it was done with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and very quickly, so I may not have come across as eloquently as I usually do. Also, the intent may not have been properly understood. One important point is regarding the robot dog – we cannot claim that we manufactured it,” she said.

However, the university in a statement "profusely" apologised for the confusion and squarely put the blame on “ill-informed” Singh, who 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 university had claimed that it never projected the product as its own but an X Community Note claimed that it was a misleading claim, as the institution indeed presented it as its own and referring to it as developed by its team.

In its official 'X' handle, the Congress alleged that the Modi government has made a "laughing stock of India globally" with regard to AI.

"In the ongoing AI summit, Chinese robots are being displayed as our own. The Chinese media has mocked us. This is truly embarrassing for India. What is even more shameful is the fact that Modi’s minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is indulging in the same falsehood, promoting China's robots at the Indian summit. The Modi Government has caused irreparable damage to the image of the country - they have reduced AI to a joke - a field in which we could be world leaders given our data power. Brazenly shameless," it said.

Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said the university passing off Chinese robots as its own invention is a "shame" and Chinese media having a field day over it makes it worse.

"All this could have been avoided if before allotting pavilions a thorough credibility check was done of companies/universities/startups and others. The damage this has caused for India and the Summit is big, while they have been asked to vacate their pavilion is a good step, I feel some strict penalty must also be imposed on them," she said on 'X'.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale claimed that the "real shameful part" is that the government-run DD News did an entire feature promoting them.

"Today, DD News and BJP are the same. The channel runs as a propaganda outlet for BJP. Both the IT Ministry (which organised the summit) and Information and Broadcasting Ministry which controls DD News are headed by the same minister. Was this fraud perpetrated with full knowledge of Modi’s Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for cheap PR?" he asked.

"Did the BJP receive anything from this private university in return for being platformed at the summit by a govt channel? This incident has become a global embarrassment. Is the purpose of the India AI Summit merely to promote Modi even through fraudulent means? Why has there been pin drop silence from Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Govt on this shameful incident?" he added.