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Former US treasury secretary the Harvard professor is departing from the board at the artificial intelligence firm, just days after a batch of emails between him and notorious criminal Jeffrey Epstein became widely known.

Summers remarked in a statement that he was "thankful for the opportunity to have contributed, optimistic about the prospects of the organization, and look forward observing their advancement".

The former Harvard president, who formerly headed the prestigious university, stated on Monday that he would be stepping back from public roles due to his association with Epstein.

Email Communications

The recently released communications demonstrated that the economist exchanged messages with Jeffrey Epstein until the eve of the financier's 2019 apprehension for accused human trafficking of minors.

In additional comments, the artificial intelligence company stated it accepted Summers' choice to resign.

"We appreciate his significant contributions and the perspective he brought to the governing body," the organization remarked.

Legislative Background

This development comes after the entire Congress of the US legislature voted on recently to pass a bill that would mandate the federal prosecutors to release its documents on Jeffrey Epstein.

The legislation will subsequently head to the office of the White House for endorsement. Trump has stated he plans to sign the measure, after reversing his view on the matter following objections from his followers.

Correspondence Findings

A group of Epstein-connected messages made public by the legislative panel days ago included several prominent individuals in the financier's past associates, without implying any legal wrongdoing by those figures.

The emails revealed that Summers and Epstein often met for meals, with he often trying to introduce the academic to prominent international personalities.

Personal Response

After the emails were made available with the general audience, Summers stated he accepted "total ownership for my ill-advised choice to persist in corresponding with Mr Epstein".

He continued that he wanted "to rebuild confidence and mend bonds with the individuals most important to me".

Previous Positions

The professor held leadership roles under two Democratic presidents; serving as Treasury chief under President Clinton, and as head of the economic advisory body under Barack Obama.

He led the university from 2001 to 2006 and continues to be a faculty member there. When announcing his step-down from public roles earlier on this week, he indicated he would continue his academic responsibilities.

Further Repercussions

Following his statement on earlier this week, the Washington think tank, a liberal policy institute in the capital where the professor was a researcher, confirmed that Summers was ceased to be associated with the institution.

Summers joined the board of OpenAI, which creates the AI chatbot, in 2023 - following a unsuccessful effort to remove its chief executive the company leader.