Home'This is fine' creator accuses AI startup of stealing his art
You have probably seen this comic before: an anthropomorphic dog, smiling amid flames, says, “This is fine.”
This image has become one of the most enduring memes of the past decade. Now AI startup Artisan appears to have used it in an advertising campaign — one that KC Green, the comic's creator, says stole his artwork.
A Bluesky post appears to show a subway station ad featuring Green's art, but with the dog saying, “My pipeline is on fire,” and an overlay urging passersby to “Hire Ava the AI BDR.”
Quoting that post, Green said he has “been getting more folks telling me about this” and that “it’s not anything I agreed to.” Instead, he said the ad was “stolen like AI steals,” and he urged followers to “please vandalize it if and when you see it.”
I've been getting more folks telling me about this, and it's not anything I agreed to. It's been stolen like AI steals. Please vandalize it if and when you see it.
— KC Green (@kcg.bsky.social) 2026-05-03T04:23:08.217Z
When TechCrunch emailed Artisan about the ad, the company responded, “We have a lot of respect for KC Green and his work, and we’re reaching out to him directly.” In a follow-up email, Artisan said it had scheduled time to speak with him.
Artisan has previously stirred controversy with its ads, particularly billboards urging businesses to “Stop hiring humans” — though founder and CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack insisted the message referred to “a category of work,” not “humans at large.”
“This is fine” first appeared in Green's webcomic “Gunshow” in 2013. While he hasn't fully disavowed the smiling, melting dog (he recently turned the comic into a game), the meme has clearly escaped his control. And of course, Green is far from the only artist whose meme-worthy art has been used in ways they find objectionable.
Some artists have nevertheless taken action when their art is monetized or used commercially without permission. For instance, cartoonist Matt Furie sued the right-wing conspiracy theory site Infowars for using his character Pepe the Frog in a poster. (Furie and Infowars eventually settled.)
Green told TechCrunch via email that he will be “looking into legal representation, as I feel I have to.” Still, he said it “takes the wind out of my sails” that he must take “time out of my life to try my hand at the American court system instead of putting that back into what I am passionate about, which is drawing comics and stories.”
Green added, “These no-thought A.I. losers aren’t untouchable, and memes don’t just come out of thin air.”
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You have probably seen this comic before: an anthropomorphic dog, smiling amid flames, says, “This is fine.”
This image has become one of the most enduring memes of the past decade. Now AI startup Artisan appears to have used it in an advertising campaign — one that KC Green, the comic's creator, says stole his artwork.
A Bluesky post appears to show a subway station ad featuring Green's art, but with the dog saying, “My pipeline is on fire,” and an overlay urging passersby to “Hire Ava the AI BDR.”
Quoting that post, Green said he has “been getting more folks telling me about this” and that “it’s not anything I agreed to.” Instead, he said the ad was “stolen like AI steals,” and he urged followers to “please vandalize it if and when you see it.”
I've been getting more folks telling me about this, and it's not anything I agreed to. It's been stolen like AI steals. Please vandalize it if and when you see it.
— KC Green (@kcg.bsky.social) 2026-05-03T04:23:08.217Z
When TechCrunch emailed Artisan about the ad, the company responded, “We have a lot of respect for KC Green and his work, and we’re reaching out to him directly.” In a follow-up email, Artisan said it had scheduled time to speak with him.
Artisan has previously stirred controversy with its ads, particularly billboards urging businesses to “Stop hiring humans” — though founder and CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack insisted the message referred to “a category of work,” not “humans at large.”
“This is fine” first appeared in Green's webcomic “Gunshow” in 2013. While he hasn't fully disavowed the smiling, melting dog (he recently turned the comic into a game), the meme has clearly escaped his control. And of course, Green is far from the only artist whose meme-worthy art has been used in ways they find objectionable.
Some artists have nevertheless taken action when their art is monetized or used commercially without permission. For instance, cartoonist Matt Furie sued the right-wing conspiracy theory site Infowars for using his character Pepe the Frog in a poster. (Furie and Infowars eventually settled.)
Green told TechCrunch via email that he will be “looking into legal representation, as I feel I have to.” Still, he said it “takes the wind out of my sails” that he must take “time out of my life to try my hand at the American court system instead of putting that back into what I am passionate about, which is drawing comics and stories.”
Green added, “These no-thought A.I. losers aren’t untouchable, and memes don’t just come out of thin air.”
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At its annual I/O conference on Tuesday, Google unveiled Pics, a new AI-driven design and image creation tool for Google Workspace. The company states the app is built for accessibility, serving everyone from educators to small business owners.Pics a
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