đź”— Share this article Former Treasury Secretary Summers Steps Down from OpenAI Board The economist declared he would step back from public duties after Congressional panel made public his regular messages with Epstein Ex-Treasury chief Larry Summers is departing from the governing body at the artificial intelligence firm, just days after a batch of electronic messages between him and notorious criminal the accused trafficker became publicly available. He commented in a statement that he was "grateful for the opportunity to have served, optimistic about the prospects of the organization, and anticipate tracking their progress". The prominent academic, who once led the Ivy League institution, stated on Monday that he would be withdrawing from public roles due to his association with Epstein. Email Communications The recently released communications revealed that the economist corresponded with the financier until the eve of the financier's 2019 apprehension for suspected sex trafficking of underage individuals. In another announcement, the artificial intelligence company said it understood his choice to depart. "We acknowledge his numerous inputs and the insight he provided to the Board," the company commented. Political Context This development arrives after the two houses of the US legislature voted on recently to endorse a legislation that would require the US justice department to make public its documents on Jeffrey Epstein. The legislation will afterward head to the desk of President Trump for signature. The President has indicated he intends to approve the legislation, after reversing his position on the subject following pressure from his supporters. Message Details A group of Epstein-connected messages disclosed by the legislative panel recently referenced several high-profile figures in the billionaire's past associates, without indicating any illegal behavior by those people. The communications indicated that the professor and Jeffrey Epstein regularly had dinners together, with he often trying to connect the official to influential global figures. Individual Statement After the messages were shared with the general audience, the former official said he assumed "total ownership for my ill-advised decision to maintain communicating with Jeffrey Epstein". He continued that he desired "to reestablish confidence and fix connections with the people closest to me". Career Background The economist held senior posts under two Democratic presidents; serving as economic leader under President Clinton, and as head of the White House economic team under President Obama. He presided over Harvard from the early 2000s and is still a academic there. When declaring his withdrawal from public duties previously on Monday, he stated he would persist with his academic responsibilities. Other Impacts Following Summers' declaration on Monday, the Washington think tank, a liberal policy institute in the capital where the professor was a researcher, verified that the economist was not connected with the group. He became part of the directorate of the technology firm, which creates the AI chatbot, in the previous year - following a defeated move to remove its top executive the company leader.