MEET Galgotias University Who Was Asked To Exit The India AI Summit 2026? 7 Points About RoboDog Row

Galgotias University, based in Uttar Pradesh, is facing backlash at India AI Impact Summit 2026. The university was reportedly asked to leave the summit and the reason is the robotic dog they displayed. It is claimed that the RoboDog showcased by Galgotias has brought the university under heavy criticism, as many claim that the robot is a Chinese product called Unitree Go2. The university has clarified, the oppositions have reacted, and netizens look displeased with Galgotias.

And amidst this, the professor Neha Singh, who presented the RoboDog, which she claimed is made by Galgotias students, is facing the heat of criticism.

1. RoboDog Row:

The start of the criticism on Galgotias is the robotic dog they presented in the summit. The robot that was displayed at the university's stall was reportedly identified as Unitree Go2, which is a Chinese product.

The problem further deepened when Galgotias issued a quick clarification saying they have not built the robodog and have not claimed to have built it. But the professor Neha Singh, who was the spokesperson at the stall from Galgotias, said, "This (robot) been developed by the Centre of excellence at Galgotias University."

Hence, Galgotias' credibility is being questioned, as is their plagiarism. As per reports, technology experts and digital commentators called out Galgotias for rebranding Unitree Go2, which is an off-the-shelf device. The critics accused the university of using the Chinese product on the Indian government-backed AI summit. This further led to organizers asking Galgotias faculty to vacate the summit.

2. What Is Unitree Go2?

The Unitree Go2 robot is a Chinese product and is available in India at approximately Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. This Chinese robot is versatile and equipped with carrying out key performances such as navigating terrain, avoiding obstacles, following its owner, and performing advanced tasks with an app or remote control.

3. Who Is Neha Singh?

When a DD News reporter visited the Galgotias stall at India AI Summit, professor Neha Singh introduced the robodog and said, "We are the first private university investing more than Rs 350 crore in artificial intelligence and we have a dedicated data science and artificial intelligence block on the campus."

Then she went on to add, "So Orion has been developed by the Center of Excellences and as you can see, it can take all shapes and sizes." This statement is the heart of chaos because now everyone is judging the credibility of Galgotias.

Prior to the controversy, Neha Singh joined as an assistant professor at Galgotias University in August 2023. Earlier, she held the same roles in universities like Presidency University Bangalore and COER, Roorkee. Her educational qualifications include a Phd from the BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus and an MTech from the ABV-Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management Gwalior, as per her Linkedin profile.

She issued her new statement related to the matter. She told IANS, "I was explaining what the robot can do, its features, and all related details. Somewhere along the way, the message got slightly digressed, and later many things became controversial. The purpose was for students to study the robot and further develop it, contributing to a stronger and more Viksit Bharat. That was our full intention."

Further, she added that due to the surrounding excitement and hype, some things got misrepresented, and the words were slightly misinterpreted, which led to this controversy. She said, "We are genuinely embarrassed about it and feel bad that this happened at the AI Summit, which was meant to showcase our students' work..."

4. Galgotias University's Clarification:

There were two clarifications issued by Galgotias which further made the matter worse. Right after facing the backlash, Galgotias first clarification is that they acquired their robodog from Unitree. The university added that "It is not merely a machine on display - it is a classroom in motion. Our students are experimenting with it, testing its limits, and in the process, expanding their own knowledge."

In the same statement, Galgotias admitted that "Let us be clear - Galgotias has not built this robodog; neither have we claimed. But what we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies right here in Bharat."

But further, Galgotias added another clarification, saying, "We would like to clearly state that the robotic programming is part of our endeavour to make students learn AI programming and develop & deploy real world skills using globally available tools and resources, given developing AI talent is need of an hour."

However, netizens are angered by the usage of Chinese product, rebranding it and showcasing it in the summit.

5. Who Is Galgotias University?

Galgotias University is one of the most famous universities in India, founded by Suneel Galgotia. More than 15000 students are studying under 100+ UG and PG courses in this university. They follow student-first philosophy, which makes them one of the top-most universities in India, as per the university website.

6. Oppositions Reaction:

Amidst the robodog row, the opposition party, Congress, said, "In the ongoing AI summit, Chinese robots are being displayed as our own. The Chinese media has mocked us. This is truly embarrassing for India." It added, "The Modi Government has caused irreparable damage to the image of the country - they have reduced AI to a joke - a field in which we could be world leaders given our data power."

Further, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "Instead of leveraging India's talent and data, the AI summit is a disorganised PR spectacle - Indian data up for sale, Chinese products showcased."

As of now the summit or government has not issued any statement regarding the matter, but many reports said that the faculty members and students of Galgotias were seen vacating the summit venue.

7. India AI Impact Summit 2026

The summit began on February 16th and will end on February 20th in New Delhi. This is the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.

On 17 February 2026, during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 being held in New Delhi from 16 to 20 February, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that India will expand its compute capacity beyond the existing 38,000 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), with an additional 20,000 GPUs to be added in the coming weeks. The announcement was not merely technical. It was strategic. It signaled that India is scaling up with intent and positioning itself firmly among the world's leading AI powers.