🔗 Share this article Harvard ex-president Summers Steps Down from OpenAI Board The economist stated he would retreat from public roles after Congressional panel disclosed his frequent messages with Epstein Former US treasury secretary the Harvard professor is leaving the directorate at OpenAI, just a week after a collection of emails between him and deceased financier the disgraced billionaire became widely known. The economist remarked in a release that he was "appreciative for the privilege to have participated, optimistic about the prospects of the enterprise, and look forward observing their progress". The former Harvard president, who previously presided over the Ivy League institution, announced on recently that he would be scaling back from public commitments due to his relationship with Epstein. Message Exchange The newly public messages demonstrated that Summers corresponded with the financier until the 24 hours preceding his 2019 detention for suspected sex trafficking of young people. In another announcement, the AI firm stated it respected his choice to step down. "We value his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the directors," OpenAI remarked. Congressional Action This news arrives after both chambers of Congress voted on this week to pass a legislation that would compel the US justice department to release its files on the case. The bill will then move to the office of the White House for approval. He has said he intends to approve the legislation, after modifying his stance on the issue following objections from his base. Email Contents A collection of Epstein-related messages released by the legislative panel recently included multiple prominent individuals in the financier's former circle, without indicating any criminal activity by those people. The emails indicated that the economist and the financier dined together frequently, with Epstein often trying to link the official to prominent global figures. Individual Statement After the correspondence were shared with the wider community, the former official said he took "full responsibility for my misguided judgment to maintain interacting with Mr Epstein". He added that he hoped "to restore faith and fix connections with the individuals nearest to me". Previous Positions The professor occupied senior posts under party leaders; acting as economic leader under the former president, and as leader of the economic advisory body under President Obama. He presided over the institution from five years and remains a professor there. When declaring his step-down from public commitments earlier on Monday, he stated he would continue his teaching commitments. Other Impacts Following the economist's declaration on Monday, the policy organization, a liberal think tank in the capital where the professor was a senior fellow, announced that Summers was not affiliated with the group. The former official became part of the leadership of the technology firm, which makes ChatGPT, in last year - following a unsuccessful effort to remove its top executive OpenAI's head.