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'This is fine' creator says AI startup stole his art - TechCrunch
You’ve seen this comic before: An anthropomorphic dog sits smiling, surrounded by flames, and says, “This is fine.” It’s become one of the most durable memes of the past decade, and now AI startup Artisan seems to have incorporated it into an ad campaign — an ad for which KC Green, the artist who created the comic, said his art was stolen. A Bluesky post seems to show an ad in a subway station featuring Green’s art, except the dog says, “[M]y pipeline is on fire,” and an overlaid message urges passersby to “Hire Ava the AI BDR.” Quoting that post, Green said he’s “been getting more folks telling me about this” and that “it’s not anything [I] agreed to.” Instead, he said the ad has “been stolen like AI steals,” and he told followers to “please vandalize it if and when you see it.” When TechCrunch sent Artisan an email asking about the ad, the company said, “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, the company said it had scheduled time to speak with him. Artisan has courted controversy with its ads before, specifically with billboards urging businesses to “Stop hiring humans” — although founder and CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack insisted that the message was about “a category of work,” not “humans at large.” “This is fine” first appeared in Green’s webcomic “Gunshow” in 2013, and while he hasn’t disavowed the smiling-melting dog entirely (he recently turned the comic into a game), it’s clearly escaped from his control. And of course, Green is far from the only artist to see his meme-able art used in ways he finds objectionable. Techcrunch event San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026 But some artists have still taken action when their art is monetized or used in commercial ways without their permission, for example when cartoonist Matt Furie sued 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 has to 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 just don’t come out of thin air.” When you purchase through links in our articles, we may ea...
Analysis in brief: Inside the creator backlash to brands posting AI ...
Creators are increasingly criticising brands sharing AI-generated content and producing AI influencers. Discomfort in the proliferation of AI into social feeds stems from three main issues. Firstly, businesses are not stating why they have chosen this path instead of working with humans, and consumers are assuming it is because they don’t want to pay real people. Creators’ refusal to engage with AI content is becoming a stand against a seeming corporate desire to devalue and automate creativity. Secondly, the rise of this content poses an existential threat to creators’ role. Their ideas, formats, aesthetics and even their voices are being stolen on a daily basis to model AI influencers. Lastly, as AI influencers appear more human, humans are becoming less inclined to tolerate them. The fact these entities were markedly distinguishable in the era of Lil Miquela drove curiosity. With their increasingly “real” appearance, creators and consumers alike perceive them as a threat. Watch the full explainer by CORQ CEO and founder Sara McCorquodale @corq.studio There’s a growing backlash to AI influencers and branded AI generated content, as seen with the reaction to SheerLuxe’s four new avatars. Creators such as @SAREL 🌼 and @Brett Staniland have spoken about this as more creators and audiences reject AI CORQ’s CEO and founder @Sara McCorquodale breaks down the movement #aiinfluencers #artificialintelligence #marketingnews #sheerluxe ♬ original sound – CORQ
"We're not machines, we're people" - comic artists speak out on AI
The impact of AI on art And so, with such a focus on handmade, human-made, often traditionally drawn and painted art, AI is becoming an increasing topic of discussion amongst these artists and the comics industry in general. To hear what's what, I got two of the guests at this year's show to offer their take on the subject.
The music AI startup is battling record labels and angry artists as it ...
21 hours ago ... The music AI startup is battling record labels and angry artists as it upends how millions of people create songs. Now, some of its critics are starting...
