At one of the most high-profile AI showcases in India's history, a Greater Noida university walked into the expo floor with a Chinese-made robotic dog, named it "Orion," and described it as a product developed by its own Centre of Excellence. By Tuesday night, the clip was everywhere. By Wednesday morning, the government had seen enough.
PTI, citing government sources, reported that Galgotias University has been directed to remove its stall and vacate the expo area of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi — immediately.
The five-day summit, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated on February 16, is billed as the first major global AI gathering hosted in the Global South. It has drawn more than 20 Heads of State, 60 ministers, and 500 global AI leaders. The expo spans over 70,000 square metres across 10 arenas. It was meant to be a statement of India's AI ambitions.
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What was said on camera
In a media interaction at the university's stall, captured on video, Professor Neha Singh introduced the device: "So Orion has been developed by the Center of Excellences and as you can see." She added: "We are the first private university investing more than ₹350 crore in Artificial Intelligence," and described a "dedicated data science and AI block on campus."
Social media users identified "Orion" as the Unitree Go2 — a commercially available AI-powered robotic dog built by Chinese firm Unitree Robotics, sold online in India for ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh (approximately $2,800). IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had shared a video from the Galgotias stall on X, showcasing it as part of the summit. It was later deleted after the controversy spread.
The university's response — and where it stands right now
Galgotias issued a statement on X: "The recently acquired robodog from Unitree is one such step in that journey. It is not merely a machine on display; it is a classroom in motion. Our students are experimenting with it, testing its limits and, in the process, expanding their own knowledge. Let us be clear — Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we ever claimed to."
X's Community Notes attached a disclaimer directly to that post: "Galgotias University did claim on camera that the robot was built by their Centre of Excellence team. There is no propaganda here."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reacted on Wednesday, calling the summit a "disorganised PR spectacle."
"Instead of leveraging India's talent and data, the AI summit is a disorganised PR spectacle - Indian data up for sale, Chinese products showcased," Gandhi posted on X.
As of Today, Professor Dr Aishwarya of Galgotias University told PTI: "No, we have not received any directive yet to vacate the expo area. In fact, we are ready to answer for what happened yesterday."
The stall, as of the latest reports, was still standing.
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