‘This is fine’ artist KC Green reaches agreement with AI startup Artisan
Artist KC Green has reached an agreement with AI startup Artisan after a dispute over the use of his work. The controversy began when Artisan used a version of Green's famous 'This is fine' meme in their advertisements for an AI assistant. Following the settlement, Artisan has removed the ads that featured Green's character.
- ▪KC Green criticized Artisan for misusing his artwork in their advertisements.
- ▪The ads featured Green's dog in flames with a modified phrase that deviated from the original meme.
- ▪Green and Artisan have come to a quick settlement, resulting in the removal of the ads.
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| Canonical URL | https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/31/this-is-fine-artist-kc-green-reaches-agreement-with-ai-startup-artisan/ |
| Publication time | Sun, 31 May 2026 18:28:17 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-31T18:42:22.416Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-31T18:54:53.395Z |
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In Brief Posted: 11:28 AM PDT · May 31, 2026 Image Credits:Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Anthony Ha ‘This is fine’ artist KC Green reaches agreement with AI startup Artisan After criticizing a startup called Artisan for misusing his work, artist KC Green — creator of the famous “This is fine” meme — said he’s reached an agreement with Artisan. The dispute arose after the startup appeared to use a version of Green’s art to promote its AI assistant Ava. In Artisan’s bus and subway ads, Green’s recognizable dog sat amid recognizable flames, but instead of saying “This is fine,” it declared, “My pipeline is on fire,” while the ad urged people to “Hire Ava the AI BDR.” Earlier this month, Green posted on social media that his art had been “stolen like AI steals” and urged his followers to…
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