Cartoonist KC Green, creator in 2013 of the well-known meme of a dog in a room on fire saying This is fine, has reported that the startup Artisan used his work without permission. The artificial intelligence company modified the original text to promote its product Ava, the AI BDR in an advertising campaign on the San Francisco subway. Green, upon discovering it on Bluesky, publicly called for the advertisement to be vandalized, calling the act a direct theft.
The use of memes as a basis for AI campaigns 🎭
The case raises a recurring problem in the tech sector: the appropriation of popular cultural content without a license. Artisan used a globally recognizable image, altering only the text to adapt it to its product. This reflects a practice where AI startups prioritize virality over copyright. Modifying the original message does not eliminate the infringement, as the base work remains Green's property. The incident occurs in a context where several AI companies face lawsuits for using protected material in their training sets.
The dog is no longer fine: AI learns to steal memes 🔥
It is curious that an artificial intelligence startup, whose goal is to automate tasks, was not smart enough to ask for permission. The ad, instead of selling its product, has made people want to scratch its posters. At least the dog is still on fire, but now the fire was started by the company itself. Green, for his part, has shown that the best response to theft is to call for more vandalism. Perhaps next time, Artisan will use its AI to generate original memes. Or perhaps not.