Patna, February 19: Union Minister Chirag Paswan has come down hard on the controversy surrounding a Chinese robotic dog showcased at the India AI Impact Summit. Labeling it a ‘major lapse,’ Paswan assured that the government will take decisive action once the event concludes.
The incident unfolded at the summit organized by Galgotias University, where the robodog was presented as a product developed by the university’s ‘Center of Excellence.’ It later emerged that the device was actually the Unitree Go2 model from China’s Unitree Robotics.
Speaking to reporters, Paswan emphasized that falsely claiming ownership of a foreign product on such a prestigious global platform is unacceptable. ‘This is a serious matter because the world is watching,’ he said, warning that such missteps could tarnish India’s international reputation.
Paswan specifically criticized the representative who provided details about the robodog, noting her attempt to justify the situation through careful word choice before it was dismissed as a misunderstanding. With India hosting a high-profile AI conference, such errors raise alarming concerns about oversight.
The government echoed this sentiment in its initial response, stressing that only genuine and verified innovations should be displayed at these forums to avoid any misleading information.
The controversy ignited when Neha Singh, a communications professor from the university, claimed in an interview that the robodog, named ‘Orion,’ was developed in-house. She later attributed it to a communication error.
Galgotias University issued an official apology, regretting the confusion and clarifying that the representative lacked technical knowledge and was not authorized to speak to the media.
As the AI summit continues, all eyes are on how authorities will address this embarrassing episode, underscoring the need for stricter verification in India’s push towards technological self-reliance.