Mumbai, Feb 20 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Friday said that the much-publicised ‘India AI Impact Summit 2026', intended to be a global showcase of India’s technological prowess, has instead drawn intense international scrutiny and domestic criticism.
"While the summit aimed to highlight the nation's Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) initiatives, a series of fraudulent displays by a private educational institution turned the celebratory event into a source of global ridicule," the party has said.
The Thackeray camp in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana' took a swipe at the BJP-led government at the Centre, saying that it has become synonymous with "events".
"Prime Minister Modi himself prefers to remain within this framework, ensuring that any programme or initiative is conducted in a celebratory or event-like manner. The 'India AI Impact Summit, 2026', a global exhibition organised in New Delhi, was no different. Like previous government-sponsored events, this summit met a similar fate. Instead of earning global acclaim, India faced international embarrassment due to the deceptions of Galgotias University, it said.
The editorial said that the controversy erupted during the exhibition at Bharat Mandapam, where Galgotias University showcased high-tech products under the guise of indigenous innovation. ”The university presented a four-legged robotic dog, branded as 'Orion', claiming it was an in-house creation developed by its Centre of Excellence. However, social media users and experts quickly identified the machine as the Unitree Go2', a commercially available product manufactured by the Chinese firm Unitree Robotics,” it said.
Following the robotic dog row, a 'Soccer Drone' showcased by the same institution also came under fire. While university representatives claimed it was a homegrown engineering achievement, it was revealed to be a product developed by South Korea’s Helsel Group, said the editorial.
Faced with mounting backlash, government organisers took the unprecedented step of cutting the power supply to the university’s stall and ordering its representatives to vacate the premises immediately, stated the editorial.
“The embarrassment extended to the highest levels of government. Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, had initially shared a video of the robotic dog on his official social media account, apparently unaware of its foreign origin. The post was deleted shortly after the truth emerged, leading to sharp rebukes from critics who questioned the lack of oversight at an international summit,” claimed the Thackeray camp.
Amidst the exhibition chaos, the editorial said Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the summit, outlining a new ethical framework for Artificial Intelligence known as the 'MANAV' Vision. “While the Prime Minister’s vision was well-received by global tech leaders, the fraud occurring at the summit itself -- directly contradicting these principles of accountability and validity -- cast a long shadow over the proceedings. While these thoughts are valuable, they were undermined by the fraud committed by an Indian university at the exhibition itself. It questions whether this 'AI Mahakumbh' demonstrated India's strength in the global AI sector or was merely another instance of government mismanagement,” remarked the Thackeray camp.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena commented that the event, meant to showcase "Self-reliant India", ultimately exposed significant mismanagement and a reliance on "borrowed" innovation.
Source: IANS
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