Galgotias Apologises After Robot Row, Says Rep Neha Singh "Ill-Informed"

Greater Noida-based Galgotias University has issued a public apology, blaming one of its own staff members for falsely presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog as an in-house innovation at a major government-backed AI summit, which had prompted organisers to order the institution to vacate its exhibition stall.

The controversy unfolded at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi this week when Neha Singh, a professor of communications at the private university, told state broadcaster DD News that the robotic dog on display -- named Orion -- had been "developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University".

The interview, recorded on Tuesday, quickly went viral on social media, where users identified the device as a Unitree Go2, a commercially available quadruped robot manufactured by China's Unitree Robotics and widely used in research and educational settings around the world.

By Wednesday, summit organisers had asked Galgotias University to remove its exhibit entirely. 

In its formal apology released today, Galgotias University directly attributed the incident to Neha Singh, describing her as "one of our representatives manning the pavilion" who was "ill-informed" and "not authorised to speak to the press".

"She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information... We request your kind understanding as there was no institutional intent to misrepresent this innovation," a statement from Galgotias University read. 

The university added that it had vacated the premises in recognition of the organisers' concerns.

In an earlier statement, Galgotias said its faculty and students were "deeply pained by the propaganda campaign" against the university, warning that "spreading negativity can harm the morale of students, who are working hard to innovate, learn and build their skills using global technologies".

Speaking to news agency PTI on Wednesday, Neha Singh maintained that the misunderstanding arose from unclear communication. 

"The controversy happened because things may not have been expressed clearly and the intent may not have been properly understood," she said.

She stressed that the university had never claimed to have manufactured the robot. "We cannot claim that we manufactured it. I have told everyone that we introduced it to our students to inspire them to create something better on their own," she said, adding that Galgotias would continue providing access to cutting-edge AI technologies.

By Wednesday afternoon, however, the Galgotias stall stood empty of displays, though a handful of the university's students remained in the area.