ENGINEERING THE FUTURE. HOW KEYMAKR’S BEST PRODUCTS / SOLUTIONS WORK?

The world of technology and Artificial Intelligence is growing and Keymakr has the opportunity to be part of paving its path. The company’s mission is to contribute to building and shaping better technology.

Easy Engineering: What are the ranges of products and what types of services do you offer?

At Keymakr, our operations pivot around two primary directions within the AI landscape, bolstered by an in-house team of over 400 annotators who form the backbone of our enterprise and proprietary platform Keylabs.

The human resource represents a newfound luxury in the data annotation industry, setting us apart in a field increasingly dominated by automation. While we harness AI-assisted annotation for its undeniable efficiency in certain contexts, the real magic happens during the data validation stage. This is where our seasoned annotators, many of whom have been with us since our inception in 2015, truly shine. Their expertise is not just in data annotation; they’ve evolved into team leads and mentors, guiding our teams through myriad projects across diverse sectors—from waste management and retail to X-ray imaging and medical diagnostics. As a result, when a new project arrives, there’s no ramp-up time needed to train our teams; they already possess the niche expertise required right from the start. This level of preparedness and skill is something unique in the market, translating not only to unparalleled quality but also to significant savings in time and money for our clients.

Furthermore, our second core offering to the market is our proprietary platform, Keylabs, designed specifically for giants in the industry with in-house computer vision departments. 

In our quest for excellence, Keylabs emerged as a beacon of innovation, conceived by our dedicated R&D department during a period when the market’s existing platforms fell short of meeting our specific needs. This pursuit was not just about finding solutions; it was about reinventing how we approached data annotation altogether. Keylabs is the embodiment of our mission to offer exclusive opportunities to our clients, crafted from a foundation of extensive practical experience across a spectrum of platforms. Our intimate understanding of the industry’s prevalent shortcomings inspired us to bridge these gaps with unique features that truly set Keylabs apart.

One of the standout additions to Keylabs is the integration of the Spot Healing and Edge Smoothing tool, designed to refine and perfect the AI-assisted annotation process. This innovation exemplifies our approach: leveraging firsthand insights to automate and enhance the post-annotation workflow, thereby elevating the efficiency and precision of data labeling. Keylabs isn’t just a product of our ambition; it is a masterpiece born from rigorous practice and a deep dive into the essence of what makes a platform genuinely superior. 

Through Keymakr and Keylabs, we deliver a comprehensive suite of services that cater to the multifaceted demands of the AI sector, emphasizing our unique blend of human expertise and technological innovation as the cornerstone of our success.

E.E: Which are the most innovative products / solutions and what special features do they have?

Our most innovative offerings revolve around seamlessly integrating AI-assisted and manual data annotation processes, tailoring our solutions to the evolving needs of each industry. At the heart of our innovation is our proprietary platform, Keylabs, which is designed to support all types of images and videos. Keylabs stands out for its flexibility in accommodating any client model, offering the unique capability to combine different models for the specific demands of various projects. This adaptability ensures that our solutions not only meet but exceed the nuanced requirements of our clients’ projects, enhancing both quality and efficiency in our deliverables.

Keylabs is continually being refined and enhanced with features that streamline the annotation process. Among these innovations are our exclusive tools: Edge Smoothing and Spot Healing, which were developed to address specific challenges encountered in AI-assisted annotation. 

The Spot Healing Tool is particularly effective at correcting common issues such as small holes and isolated pixel groups, or ‘islands’, within annotated areas. By automatically identifying and eliminating these imperfections, this tool not only purifies the data but also drastically speeds up the annotation workflow.

Similarly, the Edge Smoothing Tool was created to enhance the precision of annotated object boundaries in images or videos. Manual annotations can often result in rough, jagged edges that are labor-intensive to amend. Utilizing sophisticated algorithms, the Edge Smoothing Tool automatically smoothes these edges, aligning them more accurately with the actual contours of the object. This enhancement not only elevates the overall quality of the data annotation but also significantly expedites the process, demonstrating our commitment to delivering superior and efficient solutions through the innovative fusion of AI and manual expertise.

E.E: In what types of projects do clients use your products / solutions?

Our services span an unlimited array of industries, reflecting the boundless potential of our products and solutions. This broad applicability highlights a significant trend: the indispensable role of human annotation for achieving unparalleled precision. For example, in aerial projects that demand object recognition with precision greater than 1+, the necessity for human expertise is paramount. Such levels of accuracy are essential for precise identification and classification, achievable only through the diligent efforts of our skilled annotators.

Moreover, as every industry increasingly integrates computer vision and AI, the demand for our services grows. Yet, our primary focus remains on sectors where these technologies are most transformative, including retail, robotics, aerial applications, construction, logistics, and the medical field. In these areas, the synergy between AI-assisted processes and manual data annotation by our team is critical for advancing innovation and operational efficiency.

E.E: How important is innovation / R&D in your field?

Innovation and research & development (R&D) are not just important in our field—they are fundamental to our mission and success. From the inception of Keylabs, our platform was meticulously crafted to address the specific needs of our clients’ projects. We identified early on the critical gaps in delivering quality datasets and have remained unwavering in our commitment to refining and enhancing our platform to stay ahead of the competition. 

We are acutely aware of the significance of our work; inaccuracies or bias in data annotation don’t just lead to errors—they can have real, life-altering consequences. Literally, the integrity of our data can mean the difference between life and death in certain applications. This understanding drives our determination to ensure that there is absolutely no room for biased data in our outputs. 

Our R&D department is dedicated to relentlessly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, striving to increase both the quality and efficiency of the data annotation process. This commitment to innovation and excellence is what sets us apart and underpins every project we undertake.

E.E: How do you see the future in your field? What are the business plans for 2024?

Looking towards the future in our field, we recognize that AI remains a dynamically evolving factor. However, our vision sees a marked shift towards a more profound and precise collaboration between AI and humans. Despite the inevitable push towards automation, we anticipate a growing demand for expert managers who can navigate these complex integrations. At Keymakr, we view this evolving landscape not just as a challenge but as a significant opportunity—a chance to introduce and develop new services that meet these emerging needs.

For 2024, we’re excited to announce plans to expand our offerings to include data curation and a novel service: audits of the data annotation process. Our confidence in venturing into these new directions is not unfounded. It’s built on a foundation of nine years of industry leadership and the invaluable experience garnered from managing hundreds of projects, including confidential engagements with some of the sector’s giants. These experiences have not only honed our expertise but have also reinforced our belief in our capacity to serve as an outsourced data curation assistant. We’re more than ready to embrace this new avenue, confident in our ability to fill this niche and provide unparalleled service in the evolving AI and data annotation landscape.