Former US treasury secretary Lawrence Summers is leaving the board at the ChatGPT creator, just several days after a batch of emails between him and deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein became widely known.
He stated in an announcement that he was "appreciative for the privilege to have participated, excited about the prospects of the company, and eagerly await tracking their progress".
Summers, who formerly headed the Ivy League institution, declared on earlier this week that he would be stepping back from public commitments due to his association with Epstein.
The freshly disclosed emails showed that Summers corresponded with Jeffrey Epstein until the 24 hours preceding the financier's 2019 detention for alleged trafficking of young people.
In another announcement, the artificial intelligence company said it respected his determination to resign.
"We acknowledge his numerous inputs and the perspective he brought to the directors," OpenAI commented.
This news arrives after the two houses of the legislative branch agreed on this week to pass a bill that would mandate the federal prosecutors to disclose its documents on Epstein.
The measure will afterward head to the administration of President Trump for endorsement. Trump has indicated he plans to approve the bill, after changing his view on the matter following pushback from his base.
A batch of Epstein-connected messages made public by the House Oversight Committee days ago referenced numerous high-profile figures in the Epstein's former circle, without implying any criminal activity by those people.
The emails revealed that the professor and Jeffrey Epstein regularly had dinners together, with Epstein often attempting to introduce the academic to prominent international personalities.
After the correspondence were shared with the general audience, Summers stated he accepted "complete accountability for my poor judgment to continue interacting with Jeffrey Epstein".
He continued that he hoped "to restore faith and mend bonds with the persons nearest to me".
The professor served in leadership roles under two Democratic presidents; acting as economic leader under the former president, and as head of the National Economic Council under President Obama.
He led Harvard from five years and continues to be a professor there. When stating his step-down from public commitments earlier on Monday, he indicated he would continue his academic responsibilities.
Following the economist's declaration on Monday, the policy organization, a left-leaning research organization in the capital where he was a researcher, announced that the economist was no longer connected with the institution.
Summers entered the directorate of OpenAI, which creates the language model, in the previous year - following a failed attempt to oust its top executive Sam Altman.
Elara is a seasoned gaming journalist with a passion for slot mechanics and player strategies.
