The India AI Impact Summit 2026 was assured to be India's defining moment on the international AI platform. It was a promise of a clash of policymakers, tech giants, startups, researchers, investors, and innovators all over the globe. This event was aimed at demonstrating the increasing aspirations of India in the field of artificial intelligence, with the emphasis on the practical solutions in the areas of governance, industry, health, and education. However, in the midst of the top level discussions, live demonstrations and strategic alliances, there was one event that received more coverage than any keynote, an incident that perfectly exemplifies the subject of perception, preparation, and presentation remaking the narrative of an event. This is what the media quickly turned into a “Your 6 Can Be My 9” Moment.
In simple terms, while India exhibited a presented portfolio of AI initiatives, one wrong move attracted too much attention, which overshadowed most of the substance of the summit.
India AI Impact Summit 2026
IndiaAI Mission, an organization of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology organized the AI summit that was held in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 16th-21st February 2026. It had the theme of AI for people, planet, and progress, and the main concept was ethical, inclusive, and sustainable usage of AI.
Key highlights included:
- There were 500+ international AI leaders and 100+ representatives of the government.
- 20+ heads of state and ministers participated in top-level policy discussions.
- There were hundreds of startups and tech companies that included AI models with Indian needs, including language translation models, predictive analytics agricultural applications and AI-based health apps.
The summit was advertised as the first and biggest exhibition of AI ambitions by India so far that made the country reachable to the rest of the world in its research possibilities.
The “Orion” Robot That Stole the Spotlight
Among hundreds of innovations that were shown, one of them replaced the media coverage with a robotic dog named Orion that was introduced by Galgotias University.
In one of its media engagements, Professor Neha Singh introduced and explained the robot using the following words:
“This is Orion. You need to meet Orion. And this has been built by the Centre of Excellence in the Galgotias University.
Its introduction immediately received admiration for its ambitiousness. The social media users however could identify Orion as the Unitree Go2 which was a businessable quadruped robot manufactured by Unitree Robotics in China and sold to the international market as a research and industrial robot.
This disclosure led to a series of criticism that the university was actually making the robot but got it to demonstrate instead. Videos of the encounter became viral, and it sparked a lot of discussion about the idea of authenticity, ethics, and credibility in AI innovation.
Controversy and Fallout
The aftermath of the Orion incident unfolded quickly:
- Social media criticism accused Galgotias University of misrepresentation.
- Government representatives raised concerns over the accuracy of public claims at a global summit.
- The university was reportedly requested to move out of its exhibition space as a reaction to the scandal.
The Galgotias University explained later that the robot was purchased to carry out research work and the conversation during the media interaction was an error and was not supposed to be a deliberate statement on original development.
This incident sparked a wider debate on the topic of authenticity in AI exhibition, specifically in the global high-stakes elites where image often surpasses content.
Exhibition Space Allocation: A Visual Cue of Controversy
The media coverage of the incident was increased due to allocation of exhibition space:
- IIT Bombay: 35sqm
- IIT Madras: 35sqm
- IIT Kharagpur: 24sqm
- IIT Gandhinagar: 18sqm
- Airawat Research Foundation (IIT Kanpur): 18sqm
- Galgotias University: 155spm
This could be taken to mean that Galgotias University, a privately-owned university with more exhibition space than a combination of four of the best IITs in India, contributed to the optics which fuelled the media and popular response.
Who Participated at the Summit?
Global and National Leaders
- Prime minister Narendra Modi emphasized the relevance of AI in economic development, governance and inclusion.
- The panels on AI ethics, policy, and investment involved heads of state, ministers, and multilateral representatives.
Research Institutions
- The latest AI research can be seen in the IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur and IIT Gandhinagar.
- The IIT Kanpur based Airawat Research Foundation showcased AI specific projects like robotics and autonomous systems.
Industry and Startups
- Hundreds of India-based AI-focused start-ups, AI laboratories and businesses existed.
- Demonstrations included predictive analytics for agriculture, AI in medical diagnostics, and AI-based models that assist the regional Indian languages were shown.
Why It Became a “Your 6 Can Be My 9” Moment
This phrase “Your 6 Can Be My 9” perfectly captures the twist of the summit: whilst India had presented serious AI credentials with global partnerships, advanced models, and thought leadership, one misstep with a robotic dog suddenly took the limelight and dominated the social media and the news outlets in social media and overshadowing much of the real work.
Instead of focussing on optics, authenticity and accountability, rather than actual research and innovation, to demonstrate the role of communication in AI showcases.
Lessons for Innovators and Institutions
- Prioritize Transparency: International summits must have displays reflecting the input of the institution.
- Communication is Strategy: Despite technical innovation that is strong, poor messaging that can be misleading or inaccurate will be attributed to the strategy.
- Value Originality Over Hype: Unique AI investigations have to be accentuated rather than pre-prepared business technologies.
- Reinforce Long-Term Credibility: Reputation in AI is achieved through continuous performance and authenticity, as opposed to a single high-profile appearance.
Implications for India’s AI Ecosystem
Although the episode with Orion made headlines, nonetheless, it also served to illustrate more about the AI landscape in India:
- Authentic innovation attracts global recognition and investment.
- Strategic communication must complement technical prowess.
- Representation of ethics and AI governance are now as important as the technology itself is.
- The nation needs to strike a balance between exhibiting privately funded institutions and publicly funded research in order to be credible.
The summit cemented the fact that India is becoming a serious world player in the field of AI, but the presentation cannot be detached, regardless of how much we might wish to do so.
Overall Summary
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 will not just end with the Orion incident. It was able to bring the world together, introduce new paradigms of AI and initiate critical discussions regarding how AI should be governed, what is the ethical and inclusivity issue.
Yet, the “Your 6 Can Be My 9” moment which acts as a wake-up call because perception, narrative, and transparency are as crucial as actual innovation is. As the technology ecosystem advances with India moving forward on AI, the global perception of the nation regarding the technology will depend on the trade-off between the introduction of breakthroughs and credibility.
In the end, innovation is authenticity in the real sense. High-quality AI solutions, ethical communications, and strategic storytelling to ensure that the country's AI presence is staying within the level of its technical achievements, will create a strong AI presence in India.
