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One-time economic leader the Harvard professor is departing from the directorate at the artificial intelligence firm, just days after a batch of emails between him and deceased financier the disgraced billionaire became publicly available.

He stated in an announcement that he was "thankful for the opportunity to have contributed, excited about the potential of the company, and eagerly await tracking their development".

Summers, who once presided over Harvard University, stated on recently that he would be withdrawing from public roles due to his relationship with the convicted sex offender.

Message Exchange

The newly public messages showed that the official communicated with Jeffrey Epstein until the eve of the financier's 2019 arrest for alleged human trafficking of minors.

In another announcement, the artificial intelligence company stated it respected the economist's determination to step down.

"We acknowledge his significant contributions and the insight he offered to the Board," the company commented.

Political Context

This development comes after the two houses of the US legislature voted on recently to approve a legislation that would require the US justice department to make public its documents on Jeffrey Epstein.

The legislation will afterward proceed to the office of President Trump for endorsement. He has stated he expects to sign the bill, after changing his stance on the subject following objections from his supporters.

Correspondence Findings

A collection of Epstein-related messages released by the legislative panel last week included several high-profile figures in the billionaire's previous network, without implying any illegal behavior by those people.

The messages revealed that the economist and the financier often met for meals, with Epstein often trying to connect the academic to influential world leaders.

Personal Response

After the emails were shared with the general audience, he stated he assumed "full responsibility for my ill-advised choice to persist in corresponding with Mr Epstein".

He further stated that he hoped "to rebuild faith and mend connections with the persons most important to me".

Previous Positions

The professor held high-level positions under Democratic administrations; serving as treasury secretary under the former president, and as leader of the National Economic Council under President Obama.

He presided over the university from the early 2000s and remains a academic there. When announcing his step-down from public duties earlier on Monday, he said he would continue his academic responsibilities.

Further Repercussions

Following Summers' statement on Monday, the Center for American Progress, a liberal policy institute in DC where the professor was a senior fellow, announced that the economist was not connected with the organization.

He entered the board of OpenAI, which creates the AI chatbot, in 2023 - following a defeated move to oust its top executive Sam Altman.