A robotic dog made in China gets an Indian university kicked out of an A.I summit

A private Indian university was removed from a major A.I summit in New Delhi after one of its representatives displayed a Chinese-made robotic dog and claimed it was developed by the university.

Galgotias University was ordered to take down its booth after a professor told state media that the robotic dog “Orion” was created by the university’s Centre of Excellence. Online users quickly identified the robot as the commercially available Unitree Go2 made by China’s Unitree Robotics. The professor later said she did not explicitly claim it as the university’s creation, while the university first called the backlash a “propaganda campaign” before apologizing and stating the staffer was not authorized to speak to the media and had given incorrect information.

The incident embarrassed India as it seeks to position itself as a global AI hub according to reports. The India A.I Impact Summit, attended by at least 20 world leaders and top tech executives, has also faced organizational issues, including delays and theft complaints, though organizers said recovered items were returned.