In the meantime, one Indian university is already enduring a storm of controversy. This move follows a controversial demonstration of a robotic dog at the AI summit in Delhi. The situation developed when comments made by Professor Neha Singh were distorted and taken out of context, resulting in a firestorm of criticism on social media. The research university has strongly refuted any allegations related to creating the aforementioned robot. In addition to attempting to discredit the negative reactions as a “propaganda campaign,” they …
During the summit, which features policy discussions, startup showcases, and closed-door meetings focused on AI governance, infrastructure, and innovation, a video was shared on the official X account of India’s IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The video featured a robotic dog that supposedly turned out to be the university’s own invention. Internet users were able to identify the new four-legged machine as the Go2 Model from Chinese firm Unitree Robotics. As such, this model is widely available commercially for around 200,000 rupees, that’s approximately $2,200 or £1,600.
The situation quickly intensified, as the electricity supply to the university’s stall was reportedly cut off, after the outrage. India’s IT Secretary S Krishnan remarked that this incident should not overshadow the contributions of other participants at the summit. He said it was critical for things to remain decorous at such high-level international gatherings.
“It is essential that a proper code of conduct is followed. There are other countries and other participants involved as well.” – [Unnamed source]
The AI summit has generated a huge amount of interest, with delegates from over 100 countries. It includes impressive leadership from a diverse slate of heads of government and industry leaders—including Google’s Sundar Pichai. This high-profile gathering is intended to promote cooperation and convene debates on how AI technologies will shape our society.
Addressing the outbreak, Professor Neha Singh took to Twitter to voice her dismay over the blatant misconception on the part of health officials. She admitted that she didn’t do a good job communicating that from the start.
“It might be that I could not convey well what I wanted to say, or you could not understand well what I wanted to say.” – Neha Singh
In addition, Krishnan pointed out that misconceptions like these should not take away from the intent of these events. He stated,
“What happened should not affect the way people present or exhibit their work at such events. The idea is not to use an opportunity like this to become something else or create unnecessary noise.” – India’s IT Secretary S Krishnan