Facing widespread criticism and public ridicule for passing off a Chinese-made robot as its in-house innovation at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Galgotias University on Wednesday issued a fresh clarification, apologising for the “confusion” and blaming it on an “ill-informed” professor.

In a statement, the University said that the professor was not aware of the technical origins of the product and gave incorrect information in her “enthusiasm of being on camera”.

“We at Galgotias University wish to apologise profusely for the confusion created at the recent Al Summit. One of our representatives, manning the pavilion, was ill-informed. She was not aware of the technical origins of the product 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 statement read.

The university further stated that it has vacated the summit premises “understanding the organisers’ sentiment.”

Galgotias University robodog row fallout: Exhibitors told to display only original innovations at AI Summit

What was the entire controversy?

The Noida-based university displayed a robotic dog named “Orion” at its pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit, claiming it was an in-house development.

However, social media users and sections of Chinese media identified it as the commercially available Unitree Go2 manufactured by Unitree Robotics. The robot was available online for around Rs 2.5 lakh.

Speaking to a news reporter, a woman professor claimed that the university’s “Centre of Excellence” had developed the robot.

However, after her video went viral, some Chinese outlets flagged that the robotic dog sourced from the Chinese robotics firm Unitree was being presented as an indigenous innovation at the AI summit.

The issue quickly snowballed into a major controversy after the Opposition Congress slammed the Narendra Modi-led government, accusing it of making a laughing stock of the country at the global level.

“In the ongoing AI summit, Chinese robots are being displayed as our own. The Chinese media has mocked us. This is truly embarrassing for India,” the Congress said on X.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also picked up the issue and hit out at the government, saying, “Instead of leveraging India’s talent and data, the AI summit is a disorganised PR spectacle – Indian data up for sale, Chinese products showcased.”