MeitY Secretary S Krishnan stated "misinformation cannot be encouraged," urging exhibitors at the India AI Impact Summit to display only authentic, in-house work and avoid controversies that could undermine the event's focus on genuine Indian AI progress.
The university was forced to vacate its stall after Professor Neha Singh presented a Chinese Unitree Go2 robot as the university-developed "Orion," leading to widespread online criticism and accusations of misrepresenting imported technology as indigenous.
Galgotias apologised for the "confusion," blamed an unauthorised and ill-informed staff member for the inaccurate media claims made out of excitement, confirmed it had left the premises as instructed, and denied any institutional intent to deceive.
The Centre issued its first official response to the ongoing controversy involving Galgotias University at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, emphasising that "misinformation cannot be encouraged" and stressing the need for genuine innovation at such events.
MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) Secretary S Krishnan addressed the media, stating that exhibitors must showcase only "genuine and actual work" and should not display items that do not belong to them. He highlighted the importance of following a code of conduct at the summit expo, saying, "Misinformation cannot be encouraged. So we don't want a controversy around this, around exhibits in the expo." Krishnan clarified that the government was not taking sides on the technical merits of Galgotias' claims but aimed to prevent any controversy that could undermine the event's credibility. The summit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focuses on promoting authentic AI advancements and indigenous capabilities.
The remarks came after Galgotias University was asked to vacate its pavilion earlier in the week following backlash over its display of a robotic dog named "Orion." Professor Neha Singh from the university's communications department had presented it to state broadcaster DD News as an in-house development by the Centre of Excellence. Social media users and reports quickly identified it as the Unitree Go2, a commercially available quadruped robot from Chinese firm Unitree Robotics.
