Former US treasury secretary Larry Summers is stepping down from the board at OpenAI, a week after a tranche of emails between him and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released.
Summers said in a statement to the BBC that he was 'grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress.'
Summers, who was also once the president of Harvard University, stated on Monday that he would be stepping back from public commitments related to his ties to Epstein.
The recently disclosed emails indicated Summers communicated with Epstein until the day prior to Epstein's 2019 arrest for alleged sex trafficking of minors.
In a statement, the artificial intelligence company OpenAI mentioned it respected Summers' choice to resign and appreciated his contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board.
This announcement comes as both chambers of Congress approved a measure requiring the US Justice Department to release its files related to Epstein, which is now headed to President Donald Trump for approval.
The batch of emails released by the House Oversight Committee referred to several prominent figures connected with Epstein, although it did not prove any legal wrongdoing by them.
Email exchanges revealed that Summers and Epstein frequently dined together, with Epstein attempting to connect Summers to influential global figures.
Following the public release of the emails, Summers took full responsibility for his decision to continue engaging with Epstein, stating his desire 'to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.'
Summers has previously held senior positions in both Democratic administrations, including serving as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton and as director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama. He led Harvard from 2001 to 2006 and still holds a professorship at the university.
Despite stepping down from public commitments, Summers confirmed that he would continue with his teaching responsibilities. The Center for American Progress, where he was a senior fellow, has also confirmed his departure from the organization.
Summers joined OpenAI's board in 2023 following an unsuccessful effort to remove CEO Sam Altman.
