Made in China: Row over robotic dog is an eye-opener

THE controversy over a made-in-China robot is embarrassing for a nation that aspires to become an AI powerhouse. Greater Noida-based Galgotias University was told to vacate its stall at the India AI Impact Summit after one of its professors apparently tried to pass off Unitree Go2 — a robotic dog made by a pioneering Chinese company — as its own innovation. The university eventually apologised, attributing the unsavoury episode to an “ill-informed” representative, while IT Secretary S Krishnan asserted that the government did not want any exhibitor to display items that were not their own. Despite the exercise in damage control, the incident has undoubtedly tainted the high-profile event.

Such forums are not marketing expos. There should have been diligent scrutiny of various exhibitors by the organisers, considering that this was an international platform designed to showcase indigenous innovation and India’s AI ambitions. The university has said that it remains “firmly committed to academic integrity, transparency and responsible representations of its work”, but the key lesson from this brouhaha is obvious: there must be no compromise on institutional credibility. There is nothing inherently problematic about universities using globally available tools, including Chinese-made hardware, to teach AI programming. In fact, exposure to international technology is often indispensable for learning. However, attribution cannot be dispensed with at any cost.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has affirmed that India has the talent and entrepreneurial energy to establish itself as an AI creator, not just as a consumer. The country cannot become a global leader in this fast-developing field if its institutions give short shrift to transparency and rigorous honesty. Researchers, educators and innovators must prepare themselves for the long haul rather than banking on shortcuts and false claims.