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One-time economic leader the Harvard professor is leaving the board at the artificial intelligence firm, just several days after a batch of emails between him and deceased financier the disgraced billionaire became public.

Summers stated in a release that he was "grateful for the privilege to have served, optimistic about the prospects of the organization, and eagerly await following their advancement".

The prominent academic, who once presided over the Ivy League institution, stated on recently that he would be withdrawing from public commitments due to his connections with Epstein.

Email Communications

The newly public messages showed that the economist communicated with Jeffrey Epstein until the day before Epstein's 2019 detention for accused human trafficking of minors.

In a separate statement, the AI firm said it accepted the economist's determination to depart.

"We appreciate his significant contributions and the viewpoint he offered to the directors," OpenAI remarked.

Legislative Background

This news comes after both chambers of the US legislature voted on recently to pass a measure that would require the Department of Justice to disclose its documents on Jeffrey Epstein.

The legislation will afterward move to the desk of US President Donald Trump for approval. He has said he expects to endorse the measure, after reversing his view on the issue following objections from his followers.

Correspondence Findings

A batch of Epstein-related correspondence released by the Congressional committee days ago referenced several high-profile figures in the financier's former circle, without implying any legal wrongdoing by those individuals.

The messages indicated that the professor and the financier regularly had dinners together, with he often attempting to connect Summers to influential international personalities.

Personal Response

After the correspondence were released with the public, he expressed he accepted "complete accountability for my misguided choice to persist in interacting with Mr Epstein".

He further stated that he hoped "to restore trust and mend bonds with the people closest to me".

Career Background

The economist served in senior posts under two Democratic presidents; serving as Treasury chief under Bill Clinton, and as head of the National Economic Council under President Obama.

He headed the institution from 2001 to 2006 and remains a academic there. When stating his departure from public roles earlier on Monday, he said he would persist with his academic responsibilities.

Further Repercussions

Following his announcement on Monday, the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank in DC where the professor was a senior fellow, confirmed that he was ceased to be affiliated with the group.

The former official joined the directorate of OpenAI, which makes the language model, in last year - following a defeated move to remove its chief executive OpenAI's head.