University under fire for claiming Chinese-made robot as its own invention

Galgotias University Professor Accused of Misrepresenting Chinese-Made Robot Dog at AI Summit

A professor at Galgotias University in India has been accused of falsely presenting a robot dog made by China’s Unitree Robotics as a university creation at the recent India AI Impact Summit. The incident has sparked criticism and raised questions about India’s artificial intelligence ambitions.

According to reports, Neha Singh, a professor of communications, claimed that the robot was developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University during an interview with Indian state-run broadcaster DD News. However, social media users quickly identified the robot as the Unitree Go2, which is widely used in research and education globally.

The incident has been amplified by Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who shared a video clip of the professor’s statement on his official social media account before it was deleted. The university has since clarified that the robot was not created by Galgotias University and had never claimed otherwise.

Despite the backlash, the university stall remained open to visitors as of Wednesday morning, with officials fielding questions from media about accusations of plagiarism and misrepresentation. The Indian National Congress opposition party has used the incident to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, calling it “brazenly shameless”.

The India AI Impact Summit, which runs until Saturday, has been billed as the first major AI gathering hosted in the Global South. The event has attracted significant investment, with over $100bn pledged during the summit from various companies and organizations.

As the summit continues, questions remain about how such incidents will be addressed and what impact they may have on India’s reputation in the global AI community.

Source: Al Jazeera