LinkedIn 'Open To Work' Status Sparks Speculation About Galgotias University Professor Neha Singh’s Future Post-RoboDog Controversy

Mumbai: After the controversy surrounding the Chinese robodog at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, which escalated into a nationwide debate and ultimately resulted in Galgotias University’s withdrawal from the event, fresh speculation surfaced online about the professional future of Professor Neha Singh. The chatter gained momentum after her LinkedIn profile briefly displayed the “Open to Work” status, sparking questions about her position at the university. However, later in the day, the tag was no longer visible on her profile.

Day 3 of the AI Summit 2026 saw a Chinese robotic dog show, becoming the centre of controversy. After which private university Galgotias was asked to vacate its stall at the AI Summit Expo amid questions over the origin and ownership of the technology on display. Reports say the stall was later bereaved of electricity and was deserted.

The row began after Professor Neha Singh, a faculty member in communications at the School of Management, showed a robotic dog named “Orion”(Operational Robotic Intelligence Node) to DD News and said it “has been developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University.” The video went viral, and social media users pointed out that the robot was actually a Unitree Go2, manufactured by China’s Unitree Robotics and widely used in research and education globally.

Online criticism followed, with many alleging that the university had presented a Chinese-made robot as its own innovation. As the controversy grew, sources said Galgotias University was asked to vacate its stall at the AI Summit Expo immediately after questions were raised about the origin and ownership of the robotic dog.

Facing backlash, the university and Professor Singh issued clarifications, saying the robot was not developed by Galgotias and that no such claim had been made officially.

Galgotias University Registrar Nitin Kumar Gaur said the confusion arose from the use of the words “develop” and “development.”

“This is a jumble of two words, develop and development. We didn't develop it. We worked on its development... We want to bring them, just like that robot was brought, and an effort was made to get students to do research on it,” Gaur told ANI.

Addressing the viral video, he added, “I can say that perhaps she (Professor Neha) might have been confused by the words ‘develop’ and ‘development’ in the flow. But the truth is that we bought this robot for children's research... If China is making the claim, then maybe it (robodog) could be bought from China... I haven't received any such official communication yet (on vacating the expo).”

Professor Neha Singh also defended herself, saying she never intended to present the RoboDog as the university’s own creation.

“We have never claimed that it is ours, Indian, or Galgotian. Its main branding is still on it. The robot that had come for a particular task has gone there for the children's study, for the children's research and development. Our center, our campus, has gone into the children's lab. It was here for two days for projection; the projection has been completed,” she said.

In a press release, Galgotias said it was “deeply pained by the propaganda campaign” against the university. It said the robotic programming initiative was part of its effort to help students “learn AI programming and develop & deploy real world skills using globally available tools and resources.”

The university said the recently acquired RoboDog from Unitree was meant to give students practical exposure. “Let us be clear · Galgotias has not built this robodog, neither have we claimed. But what we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies right here in Bharat,” the statement said.

The university’s stall at the expo had no display. However, some university students continued to occupy the stall.

Wipro, too, appeared to showcase the same robotic dog at its pavilion during the summit. Wipro presented the identical Go2 robot under the name “TJ.”