By Our Correspondent

New Delhi - India’s flagship AI summit in Delhi, showcasing artificial intelligence innovations from across the world, descended into controversy after Galgotias University presented a commercially available Chinese robot as its own creation, drawing international criticism and raising questions about oversight at the event.

The AI Impact Summit 2026, held in New Delhi, featured over 150 stalls with participants from more than 20 countries, including leading global tech companies and policymakers.

The summit was designed to highlight India’s technological achievements and included high-profile attendees such as the Indian Minister of Railways, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, and the Minister of Electronics and IT.

However, the spotlight turned negative when Galgotias University displayed a robotic dog, the Unitree Go2, purchased for ₹2.5 lakh (~$3,100 USD), and claimed it was an indigenous creation named “Orion.” The university also showcased a thermocol drone, claiming it had strategic applications.

Both exhibits were widely promoted by the Indian government’s media channels, with Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw describing the robot as a “sovereign innovation performing well on global benchmarks.”

The deception was quickly exposed. Professor Neha Singh, a communications faculty member at Galgotias University, later clarified that the robot was not developed at the university and that the display was meant to demonstrate student potential rather than actual indigenous technology.

“The internet has gone by storm due to a misinterpretation,” Singh said, emphasizing that the university did not intend to misrepresent the product.

Following the controversy, Indian authorities ordered Galgotias University to vacate its pavilion. The university formally apologized, citing miscommunication by staff and reaffirming its commitment to academic integrity. The pavilion was subsequently closed, and power was cut off.

Opposition politicians criticized the incident as a national embarrassment. Saket Gokhale, a Member of Parliament from the All India Trinamool Congress, condemned the government for promoting the robot and then scapegoating a junior professor.

“We have suffered international embarrassment due to this. The Modi government deployed state media propaganda and now seeks to blame a single staff member,” he said.

Main opposition, Indian National Congress also slammed Modi government and said "At the AI summit, Modi's ministers are calling China's robot 'India's innovation.' This is utterly shameful. The Modi government has put India's honor on the back burner for the sake of its hollow PR."

Analysts suggest this incident may undermine India’s credibility at the summit, especially as other nations showcased genuine AI innovations. While the Galgotias display was highly publicized, one independent analyst remarked that it might be just “the tip of the iceberg” regarding overstated or misrepresented technologies promoted as Indian-made.

The AI Impact Summit continues, but the incident has sparked debate on ethical standards, verification of claims, and government promotion of indigenous technology in India’s tech sector.

Experts question how many more foreign-made products might be presented as “Made in India” at the summit.