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Former US treasury secretary the Harvard professor is leaving the board at the artificial intelligence firm, just a week after a batch of emails between him and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became publicly available.

He stated in a release that he was "appreciative for the chance to have participated, excited about the promise of the company, and look forward observing their progress".

Summers, who formerly headed the prestigious university, announced on recently that he would be withdrawing from public responsibilities due to his connections with Epstein.

Digital Correspondence

The newly public messages demonstrated that the official communicated with Jeffrey Epstein until the 24 hours preceding Epstein's 2019 arrest for suspected trafficking of underage individuals.

In another announcement, the AI firm expressed it accepted the economist's decision to step down.

"We acknowledge his many contributions and the insight he provided to the Board," the organization commented.

Congressional Action

This development follows after both chambers of Congress decided on recently to endorse a measure that would compel the US justice department to make public its files on Epstein.

The measure will subsequently move to the office of the White House for signature. Trump has said he plans to approve the legislation, after modifying his stance on the subject following pressure from his base.

Correspondence Findings

A group of Epstein-related messages released by the Congressional committee days ago referenced numerous well-known personalities in the billionaire's past associates, without indicating any legal wrongdoing by those individuals.

The communications revealed that the professor and Jeffrey Epstein dined together frequently, with Epstein often trying to introduce the official to influential international personalities.

Personal Response

After the emails were shared with the public, Summers stated he assumed "complete accountability for my misguided decision to continue corresponding with Mr Epstein".

He continued that he wanted "to reestablish trust and repair relationships with the people most important to me".

Previous Positions

The professor served in leadership roles under two Democratic presidents; functioning as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, and as head of the National Economic Council under the former leader.

He headed the institution from the early 2000s and is still a faculty member there. When declaring his withdrawal from public duties recently on this week, he stated he would maintain his teaching commitments.

Additional Consequences

Following the economist's announcement on earlier this week, the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning policy institute in Washington where he was a prominent member, verified that he was no longer connected with the institution.

Summers became part of the directorate of the AI company, which develops ChatGPT, in 2023 - following a failed attempt to remove its chief executive Sam Altman.