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Former US treasury secretary the Harvard professor is leaving the governing body at the artificial intelligence firm, just a week after a series of digital correspondence between him and late convicted sex offender the disgraced billionaire became widely known.

The economist stated in a statement that he was "appreciative for the chance to have participated, optimistic about the promise of the company, and look forward following their advancement".

Summers, who once led the prestigious university, stated on recently that he would be scaling back from public responsibilities due to his connections with the convicted sex offender.

Email Communications

The newly public communications showed that Summers communicated with the financier until the day before his 2019 arrest for suspected human trafficking of underage individuals.

In another announcement, the artificial intelligence company said it accepted the economist's determination to depart.

"We appreciate his numerous inputs and the insight he offered to the Board," OpenAI remarked.

Political Context

This development arrives after the two houses of the US legislature decided on recently to approve a bill that would compel the US justice department to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein.

The measure will then head to the office of US President Donald Trump for endorsement. He has said he expects to sign the measure, after changing his view on the issue following objections from his supporters.

Email Contents

A group of financier-linked messages disclosed by the House Oversight Committee last week referenced numerous well-known personalities in the financier's former circle, without suggesting any criminal activity by those people.

The communications indicated that Summers and Jeffrey Epstein often met for meals, with he often attempting to connect the official to influential world leaders.

Individual Statement

After the messages were shared with the wider community, the former official stated he took "complete accountability for my poor judgment to maintain communicating with the financier".

He continued that he desired "to reestablish confidence and repair connections with the individuals most important to me".

Career Background

The professor held leadership roles under Democratic administrations; serving as treasury secretary under President Clinton, and as leader of the economic advisory body under the former leader.

He presided over Harvard from five years and is still a faculty member there. When announcing his departure from public roles previously on Monday, he stated he would persist with his teaching commitments.

Additional Consequences

Following the economist's statement on Monday, the Washington think tank, a progressive policy institute in DC where he was a senior fellow, announced that Summers was not connected with the institution.

The former official entered the directorate of OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, in last year - following a failed attempt to oust its CEO OpenAI's head.