Artificial intelligence artist from Maui going viral for eye-popping creations

HONOLULU — Tyler Bernabe doesn’t just dance at the edge of imagination; he leaps withic agility, turning fanciful daydreams into hyper-realistic visual masterpieces.

At 38, Bernabe is a virtuoso of artificial intelligence-driven video effects, creating whimsical scenes with diamond grills on beloved cartoon characters and rendering fearsome creatures into gentle, cuddly entities. Yet, despite the technological sheen, Bernabe’s work is far from automation. He explains, "There’s a lot that still goes into it that a lot of people miss. Just pressing a button doesn’t magically produce a beautiful video."

Using software that learns from vast datasets, Bernabe first feeds the AI models images and videos, fine-tuning them to visualize fantasies from his rich imagination. The AI then crafts new images, but the magic isn’t done until Bernabe steps in to animate and tweak them frame by frame. This intricate process consumes up to six hours for every 15 seconds of footage.

Originally from Kula and a graduate of King Kekaulike High School, Bernabe’s artistic journey began with dance, moving to digital expression when he transformed a Red Bull Dance competitor into flowing water and a tropical wonderland. This viral hit tapped into Bernabe’s penchant for merging the peculiar and the profound.

Now, with nearly 300,000 Instagram followers, his creations captivate millions. From pole dancers morphing into cascading maple syrup over cute pancakes to a mesmerizing skeleton created from real MRI scans shared by Joe Rogan, Bernabe’s vision enjoys skyrocketing popularity. His pièce de résistance, however, was the colossal 100-foot robotic figures he created for Grimes and DJ Anyma’s Coachella 2024 performance.

Working remotely from his Diamond Head home, Bernabe dreams of Future works displayed on The Sphere in Las Vegas and a New York City Times Square billboard. His paramount goal? To bring his vivid dreams to life, one pixel at a time, proving that AI can be an artist’s most powerful collaborator.