'This is fine' artist KC Green settles with AI startup Artisan
Original: ‘This is fine’ artist KC Green reaches agreement with AI startup Artisan
Why This Matters
Highlights ongoing tensions between AI companies and artists over intellectual property rights
Artist KC Green, creator of the famous 'This is fine' meme, reached a settlement agreement with AI startup Artisan after the company used his artwork without permission in advertising campaigns for their AI assistant Ava.
The dispute began when Artisan used a version of Green's iconic dog character in bus and subway ads, showing the dog amid flames saying 'My pipeline is on fire' instead of the original 'This is fine' phrase. The ads promoted Artisan's AI business development representative assistant called Ava. Green posted on social media that his art had been 'stolen like AI steals' and urged followers to vandalize the ads. He expressed frustration about having to pursue legal action instead of focusing on his comics. Artisan CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack said they have 'a lot of respect for Green and his work.' The settlement resulted in Artisan removing the ads in New York and San Francisco, while Green took down his initial complaint post.