Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the Galgotias university episode tarnished the image of Indian AI and the standards of private universities in India.
Share
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) summit held in New Delhi in February 2026, was an international summit held in Indian soil, which featured over 300 exhibitors from 30 countries.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the Galgotias university episode tarnished the image of Indian AI and the standards of private universities in India. The controversy at the summit started when the university was accused of presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog as its own in-house, "made in India" innovation. The incident led to widespread social media ridicule and subsequently led to a debate regarding academic integrity in private universities and teaching standards across educational institutions in India.
The AI dog display by the Galgotias University and the reaction in the social media opened the Pandora’s Box of higher education in India. This episode also opened debate and discussion in various media on the very foundation of higher education in private institutions.
It is a well known fact that private universities in India depend entirely on fees collected from students for their growth and sustainability. The only source of revenue is through the students’ tuition fees, which in turn depends on enrollment. With increasing competitions, the strategy is to go all out to market their universities. While well known educational institutions viz. IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, and other government medical, engineering and some known private universities that don’t have to market their university, most private universities have to rely heavily on marketing strategy to lure enough students to their campus. One of the popularly methods is to advertise and hype their job placement records. One can see advertisement in media, viz. newspapers, TV and billboards on the highways.
The buildings, laboratories, infrastructure and campus amenities create an aura of excellence of the university. In a country where large numbers of students do not get admission in government educational institutions, there is little option but to mobilise funds to join private institutions.
In most countries, the education sector is government-funded or supported through grants. It is also said that many foreign universities are sustaining because of overseas students, particularly from India, China and other third world countries.
In India, while questioning the teaching standards in private institutions, let us not forget the teaching, infrastructural standard and faculty positions in government institutions, right from primary school, high schools, colleges and universities.
Look at the position of our government schools, where enrollment is declining each passing year and parents prefer to send their children to private schools. What an irony that government teachers’ own children are not going to government schools, while B.Ed pass outs long to join government school. What does this indicate?
Well, the Galgotias University dared to show the Chinese AI dog as their own innovation, thereby triggering a furore and leading to debate and discussion on the teaching standards in the country. A private university affair has become a public issue, exemplifying that what is called “The Sociological Imagination”, where a private affair becomes a public issue.
To address a public issue, a public policy initiative is necessary, and the government must make a decision on this serious matter.
Devendra Kumar Budakoti
(The author is a sociologist and alumni of JNU New Delhi. His research work is cited in the books of Nobel Laureat Prof. Amartya Sen)