- Neha Singh showcased a Chinese robot dog as Galgotias University's own innovation at an AI summit in Delhi
- Social media identified the robot as Unitree Go2 from China's Unitree Robotics, sparking backlash
- Her "Open To Work" LinkedIn picture has now gone viral amid the row
Galgotias University professor Neha Singh is under fire for showcasing a Chinese robotic dog at the India AI Impact Summit, claiming it was developed by her Greater Noida-based educational institution.
In a video that went viral on social media on Tuesday, Neha Singh was seen showcasing a robot named Orion in an interview, saying it was developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias. Social media users, however, were quick to highlight that it was a Unitree Go2, manufactured by China's Unitree Robotics.
After widespread backlash, Galgotias was asked to leave the AI summit and the power supply to its stall at Bharat Mandapam was cut off on Wednesday.
Hours later, the Galgotias University issued an apology, saying Singh "was ill-informed".
"She was not aware of the technical origins of the products 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 said in an official statement.
It also said that there was "no institutional intent to misrepresent this innovation".
The university said it remained firmly committed to academic integrity, transparency and responsible representations of its work. It said it vacated the premises "understanding the organiser's sentiment".
Who Is Galgotias University Professor Neha Singh
Neha Singh is the Head of Department - Communication at Galgotias University, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She has been working with the university since November 2023.
Before Galgotias, she worked as an assistant professor at Sharda University, a private institution in Greater Noida.
She did her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya in Madhya Pradesh's Indore.
Singh completed her graduation from the University of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.
Her "Open To Work" LinkedIn picture has now gone viral amid the row.
It was not immediately clear if the picture is new or old.
Neha Singh's Clarification
After the backlash, Neha Singh said the robot was not a university creation and that the institution had never claimed otherwise.
"The controversy happened because things may not have been expressed clearly and the intent may not have been properly understood," she told reporters on Wednesday.
"Your six can be my nine. Maybe what I wanted to say I was not able to say because of the scarcity of time or the noise around us," Singh said.
"Regarding the robot dog, 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. Our university contributes to building future leaders by providing cutting-edge technologies in the field of AI, and it will continue to do so."
IT Secretary Krishnan said that the government would not tolerate exhibits misrepresented as original creations.
"If you mislead... we do not want a controversy (and) so we do not want a controversial agency... whom people believe are exhibiting something which is not theirs," he said.
