AI Impact Summit: Galgotia University’s ‘Chinese Robodog’ steals the show
University wrongly claimed Chinese-made robodog as its own invention, faced backlash before admitting it was purchased to support student learning
The dog-like robot has been in existence for several years and a Chinese model built by Chinese AI company Unitree is available in the market for Rs 2.5 lakh Indian Rupees. Yet, at the global AI Impact Summit, inaugurated by PM Modi on Monday, it was claimed that the robodog was developed at the ‘centre of excellence’ in Galgotia University, a private university in the National Capital Region.
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw posted a reel with the robodog and approvingly stated, “Bharat’s sovereign models are performing well on global benchmarks. Success of the sovereign stack marks a significant achievement for our engineers and innovators.” The public broadcaster DD News also promoted the robodog as a great innovation and quoted a faculty member of the university saying that Galgotias had spent Rs 350 crore to develop the AI centre in the campus.
As trolling began on social media, DD News quietly took down its posts. Galgotia University itself issued a statement late in the evening to admit that the robodog was not invented or innovated by it. It defiantly and falsely claimed in the statement that it had never claimed to have developed the robodog. Video clips on DD News clearly showed the faculty member, who went by the name of Neha Singh, making the claim though. She in fact claimed that the robodog had been named as Orion and was a star attraction in the campus.
The Galgotia University went on to brazenly insist that there was nothing wrong in buying products from the market to develop ‘minds’ and expand the horizon of its students. Unfortunately for the university, the video clips went viral and was noticed across the world.
Not surprisingly, Chinese handles on social media too noticed it and amplified the fact that an Indian university had claimed a Chinese product to be its own. To make it worse, a press release issued on behalf of the university by a PR agency made similar false claims.
The incident reflects poorly on the Government of India too. While an inquiry is needed to ascertain grants paid by the government to ‘promote’ and perpetrate what looks like fraud, there is no explanation why the screening of exhibits and patents were not more rigorous. Whoever in the government approved the university’s pavilion and the exhibit needs to be held accountable as the incident continues to invite ridicule for the country.
The incident is not the first time Galgotia University has courted controversy. Aligned to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, it had sent a group of students to protest against the Congress manifesto ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The students were forced to join the protest and told that if they failed to do so, they would have to pay the price in examinations and internal evaluations, as admitted by students themselves on camera.
Will the government come clean and make public its support for the AI centre and the startups it claims to have spawned? Will it order an inquiry to identify people responsible for the public humiliation and international ridicule?