Galgotias University, facing fire from all quarters, including people at large for roughly twenty-four hours, was sent packing on Wednesday evening from the AI Summit Expo, over the fiasco and national embarrassment it brought for itself as well as the nation over the Chinese robot dog.
The Greater Noida-based University, in a statement on Wednesday, said that it was ‘profoundly apologetic’ over the incident and informed that it was vacating the pavilion allotted to it at the AI India Expo.
The controversy emanated at the AI Summit Expo on Tuesday, over the portrayal of a Chinese robotic dog as the varsity's pavilion, with one of its professors explaining its AI-enabled features and describing robodog as a ‘landmark innovation’ by the varsity students.
The Galgotias University, initially reluctant to express regret, issued a public apology, stating that it was “apologising profusely” over the irresponsible and misleading conduct at the Expo.
Referring to the professor who stirred the row over the Chinese robodog, it said that the representative, manning the pavilion, was ill-informed.
“She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and, in her enthusiasm for being on camera, gave factually incorrect information even though she was not authorised to speak to the press,” it stated.
Neha Singh, the professor of communications of Galgotias University, told a news reporter on Tuesday that the robotic dog on display -- named Orion – was developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University.
The lapse was quickly spotted by netizens and technical experts, who found this to be a device manufactured by China’s Unitree Robotics.
The shocking revelations prompted angry backlash and diatribe against the University as experts and people in general upbraided the varsity for sullying the largest ever AI Summit being held at the capital’s Bharat Mandapam and also bringing shame to the nation.
Earlier in the day, lights were cut at the stall allocated to the varsity, and its staff were seen leaving the Expo. When questioned by newsmen, they tried to duck the issue.
In its previous clarification, the university had said that it “never claimed to have built the device on its own" and that it was procured from a Chinese manufacturer to expose its students to technical advancements in AI-enabled landscapes.
Picture Courtesy: IANS
