Amid controversy over display of a made-in-China robotic dog at the ongoing AI Summit in Delhi, the Galgotias University on Wednesday issued an apology and said one of their representatives, manning the pavilion, was ill-informed and 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.
Galgotias University tenders formal apology
"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... Understanding the organisers sentiment we have vacated the premises,” the Galgotias University said in a statement.
Galgotias asked to vacate its stall at AI Summit
Earlier in the day, the Galgotias was asked to vacate its stall at the AI Impact Summit after the controversy. Moreover, IT Secretary S Krishnan said the government does not want any exhibitor to showcase items that are not their own. "We do not want such exhibits to continue," he said, after organisers asked Galgotias University to vacate its stall. The controversy erupted after Neha Singh, a professor of communications at the University, on Tuesday showed to DD News a robotic dog Orion, saying it "has been developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University."
Robot was actually a Unitree Go2, manufactured by China's Unitree Robotics
As the video went viral, social media users highlighted that the robot was actually a Unitree Go2, manufactured by China's Unitree Robotics and commonly used in research and education worldwide.
As the episode snowballed into a controversy, the university was asked to vacate the stall. Facing backlash, both Galgotias and Singh on Wednesday said the robot was not a university creation and that the institution had never claimed otherwise.
IT Secretary Krishnan, however, emphasised that the government would not tolerate exhibits misrepresented as original creations. "If you mislead...we do not want a controversy (and) so we do not want a controversial agency...whom people believe are exhibiting something which is not theirs," he said.
Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary in Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said the intention is not to stifle innovation but it should not be misleading. The controversy "should not overshadow the kind of effort that the others have put in," he said.
Robotic programming is part of our endeavour: Galgotias University
As Galgotias University drew sharp criticism and accusations of misrepresenting imported technology as its own, the Greater Noida-based institution issued a statement saying, "the robotic programming is part of our endeavour to make students learn AI programming and develop and deploy real world skills using globally available tools and resources, given developing AI talent is the need of the hour."
Stating that its faculty and students were "deeply pained by the propaganda campaign" against the institution, the university said its vision is focused on student learning and innovation, and that it provides students access to modern technologies to help them gain practical experience and prepare for the future.
"Spreading negativity can harm the morale of students, who are working hard to innovate, learn and build their skills using global technologies," it said. The university maintained that the exercise was aimed at imparting hands-on AI programming skills using globally available platforms and tools.
On ground, the university's stall at the expo had no display on Wednesday. Some students of the university continued to occupy the stall. Responding to the controversy, Singh told PTI that, "The controversy happened because things may not have been expressed clearly and the intent may not have been properly understood."
"Regarding the robot dog, we cannot claim that we manufactured it. I have told everyone that we introduced it to our students to inspire them to create something better on their own. Our university contributes to building future leaders by providing cutting-edge technologies in the field of AI, and it will continue to do so."
On reports that the government had asked the university to vacate the expo area, she said, "I do not have any information about that. What I know is that today we are all present here."
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