Leveraging OpenAI's expertise, Circles will transform customer experience and drive efficiencies for telcos globally
SINGAPORE and SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Circles, a global telco technology company, and OpenAI have announced a strategic global collaboration to build a fully AI-native telco platform. This platform will set a new benchmark for telcos globally and will empower them to play a deeper technological role in their consumers' lives in the AI-first era.
Telcos worldwide are struggling with declining customer NPS, retention and profitability. In collaboration with OpenAI, Circles is redefining the Telco industry by building a fully AI-native SaaS platform that drives unprecedented levels of consumer intelligence, productivity and profitability across research, operations, customer support and CRM for operators globally.
The AI-native platform will launch in Singapore first, powering Circles.Life's app, and will rapidly expand to Circles' telco partners globally. This multi-year collaboration will also give Circles access to OpenAI's early-stage models and research programs, positioning Circles at the forefront of inventing new AI benchmarks for the telco industry. Circles will combine its deep consumer understanding and operator expertise with OpenAI's industry-leading models to showcase the potential for AI in text, voice, image and vision.
Awais Mailk, Global Chief Growth Officer of Circles, said: "At Circles, our mission is to continuously push the boundaries of what a telco experience should be and bring innovation from Singapore to the world. OpenAI is a global pioneer in AI and we are thrilled to collaborate with them to launch this AI-native platform to our telco partners globally. This collaboration will deliver a paradigm shift in not just user experience, but also operator efficiency which will further enhance value to the users."
Consumers nowadays are demanding more value, responsiveness and personalization in their digital lifestyles. Telco services also need to evolve to meet the changing needs of consumers.
By tapping on OpenAI's latest technology, Circles aims to radically transform consumers' digital experiences as well. The AI-native platform will power a pathbreaking agentic AI app that understands context, adapts to users' digital lifestyles and delivers personalized experiences across connectivity, shopping, travel, gaming, wellness and more.
Gaurav Tandon, VP of Product & AI Innovation of Circles, said: "We're excited to integrate OpenAI's cutting-edge AI research with our proprietary data intelligence engine to reimagine digital connectivity from ground up. We are at the cusp of a unique technological shift that will create the next generation of telcos which consumers love, will thrive and endure for several decades."
Oliver Jay, Managing Director for International at OpenAI, said: "Circles has consistently demonstrated leadership in digital transformation within the telco industry. With OpenAI's technology, Circles will be setting new standards for how AI can enhance consumers' interactions with critical telco services. We look forward to working with Circles to raise the bar for customer experience and drive operator efficiency globally."
About Circles
Founded in 2014, Circles is a global technology company reimagining the telco industry with its innovative SaaS platform, empowering telco operators worldwide to effortlessly launch innovative digital brands or refresh existing ones, accelerating their transformation into techcos.
Today, Circles partners with leading telco operators across 14 countries and 6 continents, including KDDI Corporation, Etisalat Group (e&), AT&T, and Telkomsel, creating blueprints for future telco and digital experiences enjoyed by millions of consumers globally.
Circles is backed by renowned global investors, including Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia), Warburg Pincus, Founders Fund, and EDBI (the investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board), with a track record of backing industry challengers.
For more information, visit www.circles.co.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Circles and OpenAI Collaborate to Build SEA's First Fully AI-Native Telco Platform
The Initiative Aims to Address the Pain Points of Family Filmmaking
BEIJING, Dec. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 6th, the 3rd FamilyLens International Film Festival opened in Beijing. SmallRig, a global specialized provider of imaging solutions, collaborating with FamilyLens, is empowering family filmmaking through various initiatives, including the Family Filmmaking Co-Creation Initiative, a dedicated family filmmaking kit, and a social impact screening program.
Deepening the "Co-Creation Initiatives"
The Co-Creation Initiatives are a series of global creative initiatives open to filmmakers and image creators worldwide. Through deep collaboration across multiple dimensions — including product co-creation, discovery and promotion, and content co-creation — SmallRig aims to expand the boundaries of mobile filmmaking and bring the spirit of Free Your Dream to life with creators everywhere.
Following the launch of the Mobile Filmmaking Co-Creation Initiative at the 14th International Smartphone Film Festival, SmallRig announced the launch of the Family Filmmaking Co-Creation Initiative on December 6th at the 3rd FamilyLens International Film Festival. The initiative invites global creators and every family to participate, focusing on three core directions: product co-creation, work promotion, and content co-creation, to explore the possibilities of family filmmaking for everyone.
Mr. Zhou Yang, Founder and CEO of SmallRig, shared the inspiration for the initiative: "The initiative is rooted in the immense universality and profound emotional depth inherent in family narratives, which serve as a common emotional bond connecting global audiences. We firmly believe that in this era, where everyone can be a content creator, every family can and should film their own story. The instinct to create is deeply embedded in the human spirit, and every home is the origin of countless narratives."
Gu Xue, Founder and Director of the FamilyLens International Film Festival, stated: "We hope that people and practitioners around the world who care about family movies can find suitable solutions and gain insights from the Co-Creation Initiatives. We look forward to more and more people exploring the field of 'Home' together through this initiative."
To address the pain points of family filmmaking, SmallRig officially released the SmallRig Family Filmmaking Kit at the opening ceremony. The kit includes a high-quality microphone, fill light, and a portable tripod, specifically designed to achieve "professional function democratization" and "complex feature simplification." During the FamilyLens Workshop, attendees experienced the convenience of the equipment firsthand. Many expressed that the kit truly solves many problems, enabling ordinary families to complete necessary filming without specialized photography knowledge.
Social Impact Screening Program
The 3rd FamilyLens International Film Festival is open to the public from December 6th to 14th. The festival opened with the screening of well-received documentary: K-Family Affairs. In addition to the competition section, the festival features several distinctive sections, including the Reframing Home Movies— An Italian Retrospective, Youth Film Program, Filmmaker in Focus, and the Social Impact Program. Four major awards, such as the Real-Life Portrait Award and the Artistic Exploration Award, will also be presented.
As a key component of the Co-Creation Initiatives, the SmallRig Image Development Fund partnered with the FamilyLens International Film Festival to curate the "Social Impact Screening Program." This unit focuses on elevating awareness of critical issues within the family unit, advocating for a new reflection: "Starting with Seeing, Concluding with Understanding."
Arum Nam, Director of K-Family Affairs, stated:
"Starting with the stories of your family, your friends, and yourself, I believe this personal narrative can connect directly to the bigger society."
SmallRig believes that truly meaningful social impact storytelling stems from awareness in proximity—achieved by using the lens to penetrate the daily surface and enabling a deep, empathetic "Seeing with Empathy."
The four featured works in this unit are:
- People of the Ascent
- Granny's Lost and Found
- Ruixi at Fourteen
- No Country For My Maternal Grandma
These films highlight four family issues that require "seeing": the yearning of left-behind children, the mental isolation of Alzheimer's patients, the elderly searching for subjectivity in their drifting lives, and the emotional volatility and struggle of Bipolar Disorder.
Strategic Outlook and Future Expansion
SmallRig will continue to support the Family Filmmaking Co-Creation Initiative's deep development through promotional campaigns and practical workshops focused on family movie scenarios.
The overall goal of SmallRig's Global Co-creation Initiative is to continuously explore and meet the growing, diverse needs of global creators across different vertical domains. SmallRig is committed to persistently expanding the co-creation model into more imaging sectors, collaborating with industry partners to push the boundaries of imaging and grant global creators broader creative freedom.
About SmallRig
Founded in 2013, SmallRig is an innovation-driven global company that designs and manufactures comprehensive support solutions and accessories for all content creation needs. Trusted by over four million creators globally, SmallRig pioneered the User Co-creation Design (UCD) philosophy and the DreamRig Program.
For more information, visit: www.smallrig.com.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
SmallRig and FamilyLens Launch Global Family Filmmaking Initiative at 3rd FamilyLens International Film Festival
SmallRig and FamilyLens Launch Global Family Filmmaking Initiative at 3rd FamilyLens International Film Festival
SmallRig and FamilyLens Launch Global Family Filmmaking Initiative at 3rd FamilyLens International Film Festival
