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One-time economic leader Larry Summers is leaving the board at the ChatGPT creator, just a week after a series of electronic messages between him and deceased financier the accused trafficker became publicly available.

Summers stated in a statement that he was "thankful for the privilege to have served, optimistic about the prospects of the organization, and eagerly await observing their development".

The former Harvard president, who once led Harvard University, announced on recently that he would be withdrawing from public roles due to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Digital Correspondence

The newly public communications showed that Summers corresponded with Epstein until the 24 hours preceding the financier's 2019 arrest for alleged human trafficking of minors.

In additional comments, the AI firm stated it understood Summers' choice to resign.

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

Legislative Background

This announcement arrives after the two houses of Congress decided on this week to approve a measure that would mandate the federal prosecutors to release its files on the case.

The bill will afterward head to the administration of US President Donald Trump for approval. He has said he plans to endorse the legislation, after reversing his view on the matter following objections from his supporters.

Message Details

A group of financier-linked messages disclosed by the legislative panel days ago included numerous high-profile figures in the financier's previous network, without suggesting any criminal activity by those individuals.

The messages revealed that Summers and Jeffrey Epstein regularly had dinners together, with he often attempting to introduce the official to prominent international personalities.

Personal Response

After the messages were shared with the public, the former official said he assumed "total ownership for my misguided decision to continue corresponding with Jeffrey Epstein".

He added that he hoped "to rebuild trust and mend connections with the individuals nearest to me".

Career Background

The economist held high-level positions under two Democratic presidents; functioning as Treasury chief under Bill Clinton, and as director of the economic advisory body under President Obama.

He headed the university from 2001 to 2006 and remains a academic there. When stating his step-down from public duties recently on Monday, he said he would persist with his academic responsibilities.

Further Repercussions

Following his announcement on Monday, the policy organization, a left-leaning policy institute in DC where he was a researcher, announced that Summers was not connected with the institution.

Summers became part of the leadership of OpenAI, which develops the language model, in last year - following a failed attempt to replace its chief executive the company leader.