Maldives introduces ‘Keyli’: Revolutionizing Judicial Services with speech-to-text innovation

Today marks a significant milestone in the realm of judicial services and case adjudication as Keyli, a groundbreaking speech-to-text software, is officially launched.

Traditionally, the proceedings of hearings have been recorded, with administrative staff then tasked with transcribing these recordings—a process that often consumed significant time and resources. It typically took half an hour for administrative staff to manually transcribe a five- to seven-minute recording, illustrating the inefficiencies inherent in the manual transcription process.

The impact of Keyli is quantifiable. According to court records, in 2021, 1,597 hours of hearings were recorded, with this figure increasing to 2,354 hours in 2022. This underscores the magnitude of the challenge faced by the judiciary—a challenge that Keyli, with its unparalleled efficiency, is poised to address head-on.

Recognizing the pressing need for a more efficient solution, the decision to harness technology was made back in 2021. Fast forward to today, and the culmination of three years of diligent development by a team of Maldivian developers has resulted in the unveiling of Keyli, named after its role in converting spoken words into text.

The ceremonial launch of Keyli signifies a paradigm shift in the way judicial tasks are executed. With the introduction of Keyli, the laborious task of transcribing recordings verbatim is set to undergo a transformative overhaul, significantly reducing the time required for transcription.

This revolutionary software promises a multitude of benefits for the judicial system. Courts will now have the capacity to swiftly process statements on a day-to-day basis, alleviating the backlog of cases caused by delays in transcribing appearance statements. The ramifications extend beyond mere efficiency; the expedited resolution of cases will provide relief to those individuals awaiting trial while in custody.