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Former US treasury secretary the Harvard professor is departing from the board at OpenAI, just a week after a series of electronic messages between him and notorious criminal the accused trafficker became widely known.

Summers commented in a statement that he was "grateful for the chance to have participated, excited about the potential of the organization, and anticipate following their development".

The prominent academic, who previously headed the Ivy League institution, announced on earlier this week that he would be scaling back from public roles due to his relationship with Epstein.

Message Exchange

The freshly disclosed emails revealed that the economist communicated with the financier until the day before his 2019 detention for accused trafficking of minors.

In a separate statement, the artificial intelligence company said it understood the economist's determination to resign.

"We value his significant contributions and the viewpoint he offered to the directors," the organization commented.

Political Context

This news arrives after both chambers of Congress agreed on this week to approve a legislation that would compel the Department of Justice to release its documents on Jeffrey Epstein.

The legislation will then proceed to the desk of US President Donald Trump for signature. He has said he plans to sign the legislation, after modifying his view on the issue following pressure from his supporters.

Correspondence Findings

A group of Epstein-connected correspondence disclosed by the House Oversight Committee days ago referenced numerous high-profile figures in the billionaire's former circle, without indicating any criminal activity by those figures.

The emails indicated that the economist and Jeffrey Epstein often met for meals, with the billionaire often trying to connect the academic to influential global figures.

Personal Response

After the messages were released with the public, Summers stated he assumed "complete accountability for my misguided judgment to persist in interacting with Mr Epstein".

He continued that he wanted "to reestablish confidence and fix connections with the individuals most important to me".

Professional History

Summers occupied senior posts under Democratic administrations; acting as Treasury chief under Bill Clinton, and as head of the National Economic Council under the former leader.

He led Harvard from five years and remains a professor there. When announcing his departure from public commitments previously on this week, he said he would persist with his educational duties.

Additional Consequences

Following the economist's announcement on earlier this week, the Center for American Progress, a progressive research organization in the capital where Summers was a senior fellow, verified that Summers was not connected with the organization.

He became part of the directorate of the AI company, which develops the AI chatbot, in 2023 - following a unsuccessful effort to oust its chief executive Sam Altman.