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Former US treasury secretary Larry Summers is departing from the board at OpenAI, just days after a batch of digital correspondence between him and notorious criminal the disgraced billionaire became public.

The economist commented in a release that he was "thankful for the privilege to have participated, optimistic about the potential of the company, and eagerly await observing their advancement".

Summers, who formerly headed the prestigious university, stated on earlier this week that he would be scaling back from public roles due to his connections with the convicted sex offender.

Digital Correspondence

The recently released communications demonstrated that the official communicated with the financier until the eve of Epstein's 2019 apprehension for accused trafficking of young people.

In a separate statement, the AI firm said it understood his determination to resign.

"We acknowledge his significant contributions and the viewpoint he offered to the directors," OpenAI commented.

Congressional Action

This development arrives after both chambers of the US legislature agreed on Tuesday to endorse a bill that would mandate the Department of Justice to disclose its records on Epstein.

The legislation will then proceed to the office of US President Donald Trump for signature. The President has indicated he intends to sign the bill, after changing his stance on the matter following objections from his supporters.

Email Contents

A collection of Epstein-connected correspondence disclosed by the legislative panel days ago mentioned numerous well-known personalities in the financier's previous network, without suggesting any illegal behavior by those people.

The messages showed that the economist and Epstein dined together frequently, with he often seeking to link the academic to prominent international personalities.

Personal Accountability

After the emails were released with the public, he said he took "complete accountability for my ill-advised decision to persist in communicating with Mr Epstein".

He further stated that he hoped "to rebuild trust and repair connections with the people nearest to me".

Professional History

The professor occupied high-level positions under Democratic administrations; functioning as economic leader under the former president, and as director of the White House economic team under Barack Obama.

He presided over the institution from five years and remains a professor there. When stating his withdrawal from public duties recently on Monday, he stated he would persist with his teaching commitments.

Additional Consequences

Following Summers' announcement on earlier this week, the Center for American Progress, a progressive policy institute in the capital where Summers was a prominent member, announced that Summers was no longer affiliated with the group.

Summers joined the directorate of OpenAI, which creates the language model, in the previous year - following a failed attempt to replace its CEO Sam Altman.