NEW DELHI: As the controversy surrounding Galgotias University intensifies over its showcasing of a Chinese-made robotic dog as its own at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026, the government on Wednesday said it is essential for companies to follow a defined code of conduct and reiterated that it does not encourage plagiarism or misinformation.
S Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), while addressing the press at the summit, said the government does not want any controversy surrounding the exhibits at the Expo, where the university was asked to remove its setup from the exhibition.
“The idea is not to use this as an opportunity in any inappropriate way. We do not want any controversy around the exhibits being presented. It is essential that a certain code is followed. Our intention is never to encourage plagiarism or misinformation. Such practices cannot be supported. We simply do not want any controversy around the exhibits at the Expo,” said Krishnan.
The Noida-based University faced backlash for showcasing a Chinese-made robotic dog as its own at the summit in Delhi. The government subsequently asked the university to remove its booth from the exhibition, which is on till 20 February.
When asked whether the secretary had earlier verified or certified the products before granting permission to showcase them, Krishnan said these were not products intended for sale that required standardisation or certification.
“This is an exhibition. These are not products intended for sale where we need to standardize or certify them. Certification happens when something is meant for public distribution. When someone is demonstrating a product, you generally presume they know what they are presenting. If we start certifying everything that is exhibited, it could end up stifling innovation and creative work.”
The controversy began after a video from the event went viral, in which a professor from the university presented the Unitree Go2 robodog as ‘Orion’ during an interview. He referred to the robot as Orion and said it had been developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University.
The professor also said that Galgotias was the “first private university investing more than Rs 350 crore in Artificial Intelligence”, with a dedicated “data science and AI block on the campus”.
Soon after, people online pointed out that the robot closely resembled the Go2 model made by China-based Unitree Robotics — an AI-powered robodog sold online for around Rs 2–3 lakh — which was being showcased under the name “Orion” at the summit. Several users accused the institution of passing off imported technology as an indigenously developed product.
Following the backlash, the university issued a statement on X, saying it had “recently acquired Robodog from Unitree”.
“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,” it said.
“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,” it added.
The university also said it has sourced cutting-edge technologies from across the world, including the US, China and Singapore, to ensure its students are exposed to global technology.