The government's first official response to the controversy surrounding the display of a "Chinese" robotic dog by a private university at the India AI Summit came on Wednesday. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) emphasised that only genuine and original work should be showcased at such events.
S. Krishnan, the Secretary of MeitY, addressed the media, stressing that misinformation should not be tolerated and that a clear code of conduct should be followed by all participants.
His comments came after the Galgotias University based in Greater Noida was removed from the summit after it was revealed that the robotic dog, named Orion, which was presented as a creation of the university's Centre of Excellence, was actually a Unitree Go2 model manufactured by China's Unitree Robotics. The robot is widely used in research and education across the world.
"Misinformation cannot be encouraged. We don't want this controversy," Krishnan stated. "We want to ensure that genuine, actual work is represented at expos. This is not an opportunity to use such events for other purposes."
On Wednesday evening, Galgotias University issued an apology after the event organisers cut power to its stall and asked the representatives to leave.
Meanwhile, The Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday dismissed a claim made by a Chinese media outlet, which alleged that Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had stated the Chinese robot showcased at Galgotias University was of Indian origin.
"The claim is false. The Union Minister has nowhere stated that the robot presented by Galgotias University is an Indian robot," the PIB clarified in a post on X.
On the other hand, the incident has spiraled into a political firestorm. Opposition leaders criticised the event, with Congress leader Pawan Khera calling it "shameful." Khera accused IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw of reducing the summit to a "cheap China Bazaar".
"'@AshwiniVaishnaw has proved that in India AI means "Ashwini is Incompetent.' As for the 'Pradhan (Tamasha) Mantri' - every event is a Jhappi-Pappi Fest. This was supposed to be an AI Summit - a platform for innovation and exchange of ideas. BJP reduced it to a cheap China Bazaar," he wrote on X.
CPI(M) MP John Brittas also weighed in, alleging that Galgotias University enjoyed the support of BJP leaders, citing appearances by prominent figures like Sambit Patra and Union Minister Piyush Goyal at university events.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi called the event a "shame" and said the damage caused was significant. She suggested that a more thorough vetting process for companies, universities, and startups should have been in place before allotting exhibition spaces.
Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale also questioned IT Minister Vaishnaw’s silence on the matter, asking if he had any information regarding the controversy.