While the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi was initially intended as a celebration of India’s AI ambitions, the event quickly became awkward due to a controversy over a robotic dog on display at the Galgotias University exhibition booth.
After a public uproar regarding the robotic dog, conference organisers instructed Galgotias University to have its stall vacated.
The summit, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was overshadowed by controversy surrounding the display of a foreign-manufactured robotic dog.
The Robot That Triggered the Row
The quadruped robot, showcased under the name “Orion”, was identified by media reports as the commercially available Unitree Go2, manufactured by China-based Unitree Robotics. The Unitree Go2 is commercially available in India at an estimated price range of ₹2–3 lakh, depending on configuration.
Critics alleged that the robot was displayed as a product of internal research and development, but government sources later disclosed that the university was asked to leave the expo after media coverage of the company intensified and power to the pavilion was turned off.
This situation affected many people, particularly because the summit was to be used as a showcase for many of the domestic capabilities in the AI space.
What Sparked the Confusion
It seems like miscommunication led to an issue between the media and the university representatives. During a media interaction, a university faculty representative — widely reported to be Professor Neha Singh — described the robot in a manner that led some observers to believe it was developed in-house, prompting confusion.
Following this interaction, the university then had to send a follow-up message to clarify to everyone that they did not develop the robodog and are actually displaying it for educational purposes, as the intent of this exhibit is to educate students about emerging technologies from around the world and to help encourage them to be creative and innovative in their thinking.
The faculty representative later acknowledged miscommunication during the initial interaction and took responsibility for any confusion caused.
Political Reactions Escalate the Story
In the political world, the episode has now spilt out and has led to the appearance of opposition leaders who are critical of the summit’s execution and say it reflects poorly upon the management of the event and how it has treated India’s image as an emerging technology market.
Government officials, including IT Secretary S Krishnan, later emphasised that exhibitors must not present commercially purchased products as indigenous innovations. Their criticisms have increased the amount of controversy surrounding this situation, transforming what could have been a simple technical misunderstanding into a nationalised political talking point.
Bigger Questions for India’s AI Narrative
In addition to the immediate effects of the incident, there are larger questions. India is attempting to market itself as an AI world leader; therefore, there is a growing demand for both authenticity and transparency.
While an academia/industry display of an item from abroad is not out of the ordinary at national events, how it is perceived is critical. The robodog debates show the speed at which a changing view of the narrative has occurred when ambition, optics, and politics intersect.
The summit continues, but this will be remembered for a long time. For technological superiority, the clarity of the technology can be as important as its creation.
