New Delhi:A viral claim circulating on social media has been debunked after it alleged that Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw described a robot showcased by Galgotias University as an Indian-made machine. According to the government’s Press Information Bureau fact-checking unit, the claim, amplified by a post from the X account “China Pulse”, is false. PIB said the minister has “nowhere stated” that the robot displayed by the university was an Indian robot, rejecting the viral narrative.
The fact-check comes amid a broader row at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where a robotic dog displayed by Galgotias University sparked debate online. The robot, later identified as the commercially available Unitree Go2 manufactured by a Chinese firm, drew criticism after videos from the event went viral.
Some social media users claimed that the device had been presented as an indigenous innovation. Others circulated posts alleging that the Union minister had endorsed it as an Indian robot, claims now rejected by PIB.
Reports indicate that while the minister had shared a video from the event earlier, it was later deleted after the robot’s origins became a subject of online scrutiny.
Galgotias University on Wednesday issued an apology over the Chinese robot dog row and blamed its 'ill-informed representative' who was not aware of the technical origins of the product but due to her enthusiasm of being on camera gave factually incorrect information, though she was not authorised to speak to the press.
In a press statement issued by the Galgotias University following the row over the display of a Chinese-made robodog at the AI Impact Summit expo in New Delhi, the institution said, "We at Galgotias University, wish to apologise profusely for the confusion created at the recent AI Summit."
"One of our representatives, manning the pavilion, was ill-informed. She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information even though she was not authorised to speak to the press... Understanding the organisers’ sentiment, we have vacated the premises," the University added.
Earlier in the day, after a massive row erupted after one of its representative while speaking to a news channel said that the Chinese Robot Dog was developed by institution's centre of excellence, the University was asked to vacate its stall at the AI Impact Summit.
For theLatest news,India Newsand breaking stories from around theworld, visitTimes Nowfor live coverage and in-depth reporting.
Megha Rawat is an Assistant News Editor at Times Now, where she drives the national news narrative with sharp political reporting, election coverage a...View More
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
