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Former US treasury secretary the Harvard professor is exiting the governing body at OpenAI, just days after a series of digital correspondence between him and deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein became publicly available.

The economist commented in a statement that he was "appreciative for the chance to have participated, enthusiastic about the potential of the organization, and eagerly await observing their advancement".

The former Harvard president, who formerly presided over Harvard University, announced on earlier this week that he would be scaling back from public responsibilities due to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Email Communications

The recently released emails showed that the economist exchanged messages with Jeffrey Epstein until the eve of Epstein's 2019 arrest for accused trafficking of minors.

In a separate statement, the AI firm said it accepted his determination to step down.

"We appreciate his significant contributions and the insight he brought to the governing body," the company remarked.

Congressional Action

This news arrives after both chambers of Congress agreed on Tuesday to endorse a measure that would require the federal prosecutors to release its documents on Jeffrey Epstein.

The measure will subsequently head to the office of US President Donald Trump for signature. He has stated he expects to approve the legislation, after reversing his stance on the issue following pressure from his followers.

Message Details

A group of Epstein-connected emails made public by the House Oversight Committee last week referenced multiple well-known personalities in the billionaire's past associates, without implying any criminal activity by those individuals.

The messages showed that the economist and Epstein often met for meals, with the billionaire often seeking to introduce the official to notable international personalities.

Individual Statement

After the emails were shared with the wider community, the former official said he accepted "complete accountability for my poor decision to continue corresponding with Mr Epstein".

He continued that he wanted "to reestablish faith and mend connections with the persons closest to me".

Professional History

The economist held senior posts under party leaders; acting as Treasury chief under the former president, and as director of the economic advisory body under Barack Obama.

He presided over the university from 2001 to 2006 and continues to be a academic there. When declaring his departure from public commitments earlier on Monday, he indicated he would continue his educational duties.

Further Repercussions

Following the economist's declaration on earlier this week, the Center for American Progress, a liberal research organization in DC where Summers was a senior fellow, announced that Summers was ceased to be connected with the group.

He entered the board of the AI company, which develops the language model, in the previous year - following a defeated move to remove its CEO Sam Altman.