About Us - Automation Workz Human+AI Integration

We didn't start as a software company. We started with a bet on human potential.

From an income share bootcamp to a Michigan-licensed vocational school to a research think tank — every chapter was building toward the same question:

what does it actually take for someone to succeed in the technology economy?

$ 0 M

Venture debt raised on a non-traditional talent thesis

SenseiiWyze capability prediction accuracy across 5 tech tracks

1500 +

Individuals trained across Automation Workz programs

Our journey

Chapter 1 Betting on the underestimated

We launched as an income share agreement bootcamp targeting liberal arts graduates — people with intellectual horsepower and no clear on-ramp into tech. We believed their cross-disciplinary thinking was an asset, not a liability. The market agreed: we secured $10 million in venture debt from Blair, a signal that betting on non-traditional talent was a fundable thesis.

Chapter 2 A Michigan-licensed workforce development engine

We scaled our mission into a Department of Labor–funded vocational school, earning our vocational license from the State of Michigan. This chapter sharpened our understanding of how people learn under pressure — and what separates completers from those who leave. The answer was never just aptitude. It was readiness.

“Our completion rate for this population climbed from 7.83% to 75% in 2022 and has settled at a sustained 58% in 2025 — even after serving a large cohort of long-term unemployed front-liners who represent the most challenging population in workforce development. Average salaries moved from $31,200 ($15/hr) to an average graduating salary of $67,250 ($32.33/hr).”

— Automation Workz Workforce Outcomes

Validation — past & current partners include DHS, FEMA, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Michigan Works!, Ford House, and Kellogg Community College. SenseiiWyze demonstrated 87% capability prediction accuracy.

Chapter 3 Turning pattern recognition into science

Thousands of learners across two institutions gave us something rare: longitudinal behavioral data. We built a research division to interrogate it. Which personality profiles thrived in cybersecurity versus data analytics? What cognitive patterns correlated with persistence in machine learning? The think tank formalized what practitioners had intuited — readiness is measurable.

We completed feasibility studies for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, producing two landmark reports: West Michigan Titanium Triangle: Shifting African Americans into High-Tech Drive and West Michigan Titanium Triangle: Shifting Hispanic Americans into High-Tech Drive — mapping pathways for underrepresented communities into anchor employers.

WMTT Report — African Americans into High-Tech Drive

WMTT Report — Hispanic Americans into High-Tech Drive

Now

The insight becomes the product

Everything we learned became SenseiiWyze — a behavioral intelligence engine that predicts who is ready to weaponize speed in AI, cybersecurity, data analytics, IoT/sensor systems, and network engineering under pressure. Unmanned Autonomous Systems require an operator to have understanding of all 5 technology areas to operate under pressure. Not who has the degree. Not who has the pedigree. Who has the readiness to succeed despite technostress.

Technostress, defined by Craig Brod 1984, is a difficulty in coping with new technologies in a healthy manner. In 1991 with basic computers before the public internet, Army research discovered 18% of test subjects were experiencing computer anxiety.

SenseiiWyze was tested, over 4 years, at a DOL-funded vocational program. It was validated to be 87% accurate in predicting the tech readiness and capability of economically disadvantaged residents to master AI/Machine Learning, Cybersecurity Ops, Data Analytics, IoT/Sensor Systems, and Network Engineering. These residents were known to have PTSD caused by the stress of poverty.

In 2025, a global study with 18,535 users across 23 countries showed 40% of participants had high technostress.

Phua, S. S. L., Lau, Y., Ang, W. W., Hassan Nur, S. B., Pang, P. C. I., & Wong, S. H. (2026). Global prevalence of technostress among users of information and communication technologies: a meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 1–26.

We are seeking to serve the Department of War and the Defense Industrial Base as they execute an AI-First Drone Dominance Strategy. America is in a TECH WAR both in the military and in corporations. Every one needs to know if their troops can perform under technostress.

Technostress can cause organizations to miss small signals that become major catastrophes.

Let SenseiiWyze increase tech mission readiness and ROI despite technostress.

Tech tracks assessed (OPEN to Research new tracks)

AI / ML

Machine learning

Cybersecurity

Threat & defense

Data analytics

Insight & modeling

IoT / Sensors

Systems integration

Network engineering

Infrastructure

Five critical domains measured

Techno-Overload

Techno-Invasion

Techno-Insecurity

Techno-Uncertainty

Techno-Complexity

Our founders

Ida Byrd-Hill

CEO · Behavioral Economist

Ida built a $620M financial services firm on her ability to understand the inner, hidden motivations of people. She has trained over 17,000 individuals across her career. Her work at Automation Workz applies behavioral economics directly to talent prediction. She holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and an MBA from Strayer University.

Kevin Hill

CTO · Software Engineer

Kevin has led development teams building scalable, high-volume AI data and IoT systems. He studied information systems at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he built his first Ethereum platform. At Automation Workz, he architects the behavioral data infrastructure that powers SenseiiWyze’s predictive engine.

Automation Workz is redefining how organizations predict, discover, and develop talent.

WE MEASURE READINESS. WE WEAPONIZE SPEED

What SenseiiWyze does

Predicts who can become mission-ready in AI, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Sensor Systems, and Network Engineering — all elements of Drone Operations.
Uncovers hidden motivations and behavioral drivers most assessments miss.
Helps organizations reduce hiring risk and build stronger, future-ready teams.

This isn't guesswork. It's behavioral intelligence at scale.

If you are a Department of War decision-maker or a Defense Industrial Base employer — SenseiiWyze gives you the edge in predicting the mission readiness of talent before a dollar is spent on training.

Ready to see SenseiiWyze in action?

Built for enterprise teams, workforce agencies, and defense organizations that can’t afford to guess.

We didn't start as a software company. We started with a bet on human potential.

Our journey

Chapter 1

Betting on the underestimated

Chapter 2

A Michigan-licensed workforce development engine

Chapter 3

Turning pattern recognition into science