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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 collection of emails between him and notorious criminal Jeffrey Epstein became publicly available.

He remarked in an announcement that he was "appreciative for the opportunity to have contributed, enthusiastic about the prospects of the enterprise, and look forward observing their development".

The former Harvard president, who formerly presided over the Ivy League institution, announced on recently that he would be stepping back from public roles due to his connections with Epstein.

Digital Correspondence

The recently released communications showed that the official communicated with the financier until the day before the financier's 2019 arrest for suspected trafficking of minors.

In another announcement, the artificial intelligence company said it respected his determination to resign.

"We value his many contributions and the insight he brought to the directors," OpenAI commented.

Congressional Action

This announcement follows after the two houses of the legislative branch agreed on this week to endorse a bill that would compel the US justice department to disclose its records on the case.

The measure will afterward proceed to the administration of the White House for signature. He has said he expects to endorse the legislation, after reversing his view on the matter following pressure from his base.

Message Details

A collection of financier-linked messages made public by the legislative panel recently mentioned several high-profile figures in the billionaire's previous network, without indicating any criminal activity by those people.

The messages indicated that Summers and Epstein regularly had dinners together, with the billionaire often seeking to connect the official to prominent global figures.

Individual Statement

After the messages were shared with the wider community, Summers said he accepted "complete accountability for my ill-advised choice to maintain interacting with Mr Epstein".

He further stated that he desired "to restore faith and mend bonds with the individuals closest to me".

Previous Positions

The economist held senior posts under party leaders; acting as Treasury chief under Bill Clinton, and as director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama.

He presided over the university from 2001 to 2006 and is still a professor there. When stating his withdrawal from public commitments recently on this week, he indicated he would maintain his educational duties.

Other Impacts

Following his declaration on Monday, the Washington think tank, a left-leaning think tank in Washington where he was a senior fellow, confirmed that he was ceased to be associated with the institution.

The former official entered the board 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.