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Former US treasury secretary Larry Summers is leaving the board at the ChatGPT creator, just days after a series of digital correspondence between him and deceased financier the accused trafficker became public.

The economist remarked in a statement that he was "grateful for the chance to have participated, enthusiastic about the potential of the company, and look forward tracking their progress".

The prominent academic, who formerly presided over the Ivy League institution, announced on Monday that he would be stepping back from public roles due to his connections with Epstein.

Message Exchange

The recently released messages showed that Summers corresponded with Jeffrey Epstein until the day before his 2019 apprehension for accused human trafficking of minors.

In a separate statement, the artificial intelligence company said it understood Summers' determination to depart.

"We acknowledge his significant contributions and the insight he provided to the governing body," the organization stated.

Legislative Background

This development follows after the two houses of Congress agreed on this week to endorse a legislation that would mandate the federal prosecutors to make public its files on Epstein.

The legislation will subsequently move to the office of the White House for approval. Trump has stated he expects to sign the measure, after reversing his stance on the issue following pushback from his supporters.

Email Contents

A collection of Epstein-connected emails released by the Congressional committee recently referenced numerous high-profile figures in the billionaire's former circle, without indicating any legal wrongdoing by those people.

The messages indicated that the professor and Epstein often met for meals, with he often seeking to link Summers to prominent world leaders.

Individual Statement

After the emails were shared with the public, the former official stated he assumed "total ownership for my ill-advised choice to maintain interacting with the financier".

He added that he desired "to reestablish faith and repair connections with the people nearest to me".

Professional History

Summers held high-level positions under two Democratic presidents; acting as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, and as director of the National Economic Council under President Obama.

He presided over Harvard from the early 2000s and continues to be a academic there. When declaring his withdrawal from public duties previously on this week, he said he would persist with his academic responsibilities.

Further Repercussions

Following the economist's announcement on Monday, the policy organization, a progressive think tank in DC where he was a prominent member, verified that Summers was no longer connected with the organization.

The former official entered the leadership of the technology firm, which makes the language model, in last year - following a failed attempt to replace its chief executive the company leader.