Galgotias University is facing a lot of flak after it showcased a Chinese robodog at the India AI Impact Summit stall and claimed it to be made in-house. The university was reportedly asked to vacate its exhibition space on Wednesday following the controversy.
The issue began after a video from the event went viral on social media. In the clip, Professor Neha Singh of the university was seen introducing the four-legged robot as “Orion”. After the video surfaced, netizens were quick to call out the bluff and it was later found that the dog robot was Unitree Go2 made by Chinese robotics firm Unitree.
As the row intensified, Singh defended the presentation, suggesting the controversy stemmed from a difference in perception rather than intent. “Your six can be my nine,” Singh said. She added that the university had no intention to mislead anyone. Singh further said that what began as a communication gap had spiralled into a much larger backlash online.
Who is Neha Singh?
Neha Singh is the Head of Department (Communications) at the School of Business at Galgotias University. Speaking to PTI, she said, “The controversy happened because things may not have been expressed clearly. I take accountability that perhaps I did not communicate it properly, as it was done with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and very quickly, so I may not have come across as eloquently as I usually do.”
According to her LinkedIn profile, Singh joined Galgotias University in November 2023. Prior to this, she worked as an Assistant Professor at Sharda University in Greater Noida and also served as a Verbal Ability mentor at Career Launcher. She has also been associated with GITAM.
Singh holds an MBA from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, completed in 2006 and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Allahabad.
Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah also chimed in and addressed the row. “So this is what Galgotias teaches its students by example – copy someone else’s work & claim it as your own. When you get caught you don’t own up & apologise, instead you 6 & 9 to make excuses,” he wrote on X.
Abdullah also slammed the University for putting the entire blame on the professor. “When [excuses don’t] work you throw an employee under the bus & blame them for everything to save your own skin. Thank heavens this wasn’t the education I received,” his post read.
University issues apology
Amid growing backlash, Galgotias University issued a public apology, saying the controversy was the result of a communication lapse at its pavilion. In a statement, the university said the confusion occurred because a representative at the stall was “ill-informed” about the technical origins of the products and had spoken to the media in enthusiasm without proper authorisation.
“She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and, in her enthusiasm while being on camera, shared factually incorrect information despite not being authorised to speak to the press,” the statement said.