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Former US treasury secretary Larry Summers is leaving the board at OpenAI, just days after a series of electronic messages between him and deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein became public.

The economist commented in a release that he was "thankful for the chance to have participated, excited about the prospects of the company, and eagerly await observing their advancement".

The prominent academic, who formerly presided over the prestigious university, declared on Monday that he would be withdrawing from public roles due to his relationship with the convicted sex offender.

Message Exchange

The freshly disclosed messages revealed that the official corresponded with the financier until the eve of the financier's 2019 detention for suspected human trafficking of underage individuals.

In additional comments, the artificial intelligence company said it respected Summers' choice to step down.

"We appreciate his significant contributions and the perspective he offered to the directors," the company remarked.

Political Context

This news arrives after the two houses of the legislative branch agreed on this week to endorse a measure that would require the Department of Justice to disclose its files on Epstein.

The measure will subsequently head to the office of US President Donald Trump for approval. The President has stated he expects to endorse the measure, after changing his stance on the issue following pressure from his supporters.

Email Contents

A group of Epstein-connected correspondence released by the legislative panel last week referenced numerous well-known personalities in the billionaire's past associates, without suggesting any criminal activity by those individuals.

The communications revealed that the professor and the financier dined together frequently, with the billionaire often attempting to connect Summers to prominent international personalities.

Personal Accountability

After the emails were released with the general audience, Summers stated he assumed "complete accountability for my ill-advised decision to persist in corresponding with Jeffrey Epstein".

He further stated that he desired "to rebuild faith and fix bonds with the persons closest to me".

Previous Positions

Summers occupied senior posts under Democratic administrations; acting as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, and as leader of the economic advisory body under the former leader.

He presided over Harvard from the early 2000s and remains a professor there. When announcing his withdrawal from public duties recently on Monday, he said he would persist with his academic responsibilities.

Other Impacts

Following his declaration on Monday, the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank in DC where the professor was a prominent member, announced that he was no longer associated with the institution.

Summers became part of the directorate of the AI company, which creates the language model, in the previous year - following a unsuccessful effort to remove its CEO OpenAI's head.