Indian University Accused of Passing Off Chinese-Made Robot as Homegrown
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) faced intense backlash after its professor, Neelam Singh, claimed that the university’s Center for Excellence had developed a robot called “Aurora” during a recent press conference. However, the video of the interview quickly went viral on social media, and users soon discovered that the robot was actually called “Unitree Go2” and had been sold by the Chinese company Unitree Robotics for approximately $2,800. The robot was showcased in a recent exhibition of advanced technology in China.
The controversy deepened when the Indian Minister of IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, shared a video clip of the interview on his official social media account, only to have to delete it after facing criticism. The incident has raised questions about India’s aspirations in the field of AI and has been used by the opposition Congress party to criticize the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting a 5-day AI summit that will feature around 20 global leaders and several national delegations.
The Congress party shared a video on the social media platform X, criticizing the government for passing off a Chinese robot as its own and making a mockery of India on the global stage. The video also stated that this was a truly embarrassing situation for India.
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