🔗 Share this article Harvard ex-president Summers Leaves from AI Company's Directors The economist declared he would retreat from public roles after Congressional panel released his repeated messages with Epstein Former US treasury secretary Lawrence Summers is leaving the governing body at OpenAI, just a week after a batch of digital correspondence between him and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became publicly available. The economist remarked in a release that he was "appreciative for the opportunity to have served, excited about the promise of the company, and eagerly await tracking their progress". The former Harvard president, who previously led Harvard University, announced on recently that he would be withdrawing from public commitments due to his connections with Epstein. Message Exchange The freshly disclosed emails demonstrated that the economist corresponded with Epstein until the day before his 2019 apprehension for accused human trafficking of underage individuals. In additional comments, the AI firm expressed it respected his determination to step down. "We value his numerous inputs and the perspective he provided to the Board," OpenAI commented. Congressional Action This news comes after both chambers of the legislative branch voted on Tuesday to endorse a bill that would mandate the Department of Justice to disclose its files on Jeffrey Epstein. The bill will afterward move to the desk of the White House for approval. Trump has said he intends to endorse the measure, after modifying his position on the issue following objections from his followers. Message Details A group of Epstein-related emails made public by the Congressional committee last week referenced several well-known personalities in the financier's previous network, without implying any criminal activity by those figures. The messages indicated that the economist and Jeffrey Epstein often met for meals, with Epstein often seeking to link Summers to notable international personalities. Personal Response After the correspondence were made available with the wider community, he stated he took "full responsibility for my ill-advised decision to continue interacting with Jeffrey Epstein". He continued that he desired "to reestablish trust and fix bonds with the individuals nearest to me". Previous Positions Summers occupied leadership roles under party leaders; acting as Treasury chief under President Clinton, and as leader of the White House economic team under Barack Obama. He presided over the university from 2001 to 2006 and remains a academic there. When announcing his withdrawal from public duties earlier on Monday, he stated he would maintain his academic responsibilities. Other Impacts Following his announcement on earlier this week, the Washington think tank, a liberal research organization in the capital where Summers was a senior fellow, announced that the economist was ceased to be affiliated with the organization. He joined the directorate of the AI company, which develops ChatGPT, in 2023 - following a defeated move to oust its CEO Sam Altman.