Galgotias University came under criticism at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi after a robotic dog on display sparked a controversy. The university was reportedly asked to vacate its exhibition stall on Wednesday.
Questions quickly emerged regarding the RoboDog’s origins and the accuracy of the claims made during its presentation. The summit is being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
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Amid the controversy, the university issued a statement on Wednesday apologising for the “confusion” caused during the summit. In its clarification, the university stated that its representative at the event was “ill-informed” about the technical origins of the product being showcased. It attributed the controversy to one of its professors, Neha Singh, and her “enthusiasm of being on camera”, adding that she was not aware of the technical background of the device.
Who Is Neha Singh?
Neha Singh, who emerged as the public face of the initiative at the summit, has since come under scrutiny. Speaking to news agency PTI, Singh said she is a faculty member in Communications at the School of Management.
{{/usCountry}}Neha Singh, who emerged as the public face of the initiative at the summit, has since come under scrutiny. Speaking to news agency PTI, Singh said she is a faculty member in Communications at the School of Management.
{{/usCountry}}Also read| Galgotias blames Prof Neha Singh for robodog fiasco: 'Enthusiasm of being on camera'
Before joining Galgotias University in November 2023, she worked at Sharda University in Greater Noida as an Assistant Professor and also served as a Verbal Ability mentor at Career Launcher, according to her LinkedIn profile, which now shows "open to work."
Before that, she held a position at GITAM. Singh completed her MBA from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya in 2006 and earlier earned a B.Com degree from the University of Allahabad.
Galgotias professor clarifies
Professor Neha Singh clarified that claiming the robodog as indigenously developed was not her intention.
“The controversy happened because things may not have been expressed clearly,” she said.
“I take accountability that perhaps I did not communicate it properly, as it was done with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and very quickly, so I may not have come across as eloquently as I usually do.
Where is the robodog now?
Amid questions over the robot dog’s removal from the stall, Singh said the machine has been moved back to the university labs for academic use.
“It was procured to be in the labs for the students to do all the anatomy, all the research and development. It is there,” she said, while urging attention toward student-built AI applications also being showcased at the pavilion.