China-made robot dogs had their day at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 expo in Delhi, but then they vanished.

On Day Two, these robot dogs were a common sight at the exhibition halls, with several companies showcasing how they were used to tackle real-world problems – from security and surveillance to potentially assisting engineers at oil rigs by reaching places where humans might find it difficult or hazardous to access. One of these robot dogs even made its way to a now-deleted video Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw posted promoting the summit.

On day three, most of the dogs are gone, especially the ones that look like the one below.

Videograb

Many would recognise this dog from the previous season of the Indian Premier League, when it was a regular at the stadiums and in social media videos.

The vanishing of the robo-dogs came after the controversy surrounding Galgotias University for showcasing a robot dog named "Orion" that was actually Chinese-made and not an in-house innovation.

Eagle-eyed social media users had revealed that it was a Unitree Go2, sold by China's Unitree Robotics for about $2,800 and widely used in research and education globally.

On Wednesday morning, at least four news outlets – news agencies PTI and Reuters and news channels NDTV and CNN News 18 – quoted unnamed sources as saying that the university had been told to pack off from the summit expo.

The varsity stall was operational till at least noon on Wednesday.

Around 2pm on Wednesday, PTI first reported that power had been cut off at the expo stall of the private university from Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Shortly afterwards the news agency said barricades were being put up in front of the varsity stall.

The university has in social media statements claimed it never claimed the robot dog was developed in-house, even though a now-deleted video clip from state broadcaster Doordarshan had seemed to say otherwise.

Galgotias University professors on Wednesday clarified that their interview with Doordrashan was ‘misinterpreted’.

The Telegraph Online spotted at least three such robodogs on Tuesday, Day Two of the summit. Software giant Wipro, too, had showcased a robodog which looked eerily similar to the Unitree Go2 robot.

On Day Three, Wednesday, these particular robodogs are nowhere to be found.

It must be noted that Wipro or any other organisation showcasing such dogs did not claim that they have developed it, but questions remain over why a China-made gadget should get pride of place in exhibits at an event meant to showcase India as a tech giant.

"The Modi government has made a laughing stock of India globally with regard to AI," the Congress said on social media citing the incident.

“In the ongoing AI summit, Chinese robots are being displayed as our own. The Chinese media has mocked us. This is truly embarrassing for India. What is even more shameful is the fact that Modi’s minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is indulging in the same falsehood, promoting China's robots at the Indian summit.

“The Modi Government has caused irreparable damage to the image of the country - they have reduced AI to a joke - a field in which we could be world leaders given our data power,” it added.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi amplified it, reposting it with his comment: “Instead of leveraging India’s talent and data, the AI summit is a disorganised PR spectacle - Indian data up for sale, Chinese products showcased.”

There were several other robodog models which The Telegraph Online spotted at the summit on Tuesday. On Wednesday, some of them were still there.

Photo: Debayan Dutta

The India AI Impact summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, which runs until Saturday, has been billed as the first major AI gathering hosted in the Global South.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei will address the gathering on Thursday.

The event has also faced broader organisational difficulties since opening, with delegates reporting overcrowding and logistical issues.

That said, there has been more than $100 billion of investment in India AI projects pledged during the summit, including investments from the Adani Group conglomerate, tech giant Microsoft and data centre firm Yotta.

Galgotias University issued an apology on Wednesday following the controversy over its ‘robodog’ display at the India Impact AI Summit and confirmed that it has vacated its stall at the venue.

"We at Galgotias University, wish to apologise profusely for the confusion created at the recent Al 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," the statement read.

"We request your kind understanding as there was no institutional intent to misrepresent this innovation. Galgotias University remains firmly committed to academic integrity, transparency, and responsible representation of our work. Understanding the organisers sentiment we have vacated the premises," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)