In brief
Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has stepped down from his position on the board of OpenAI just a week after controversial emails with Jeffrey Epstein were made public. In his resignation statement, Summers expressed gratitude for his time at OpenAI and acknowledged the need to distance himself from public commitments due to his ties with Epstein. The emails showed ongoing communication between Summers and Epstein until shortly before Epstein's arrest in 2019. OpenAI confirmed it respected Summers' decision, while a congressional measure is pending to release further Epstein-related records.
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, said on Monday that he would be stepping back from public commitments over his ties to Epstein.
The recently released emails showed Summers communicated with Epstein until the day before Epstein's 2019 arrest for the alleged sex trafficking of minors.
In a statement, the artificial intelligence company said it respected Summers' decision to resign. 'We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board,' OpenAI said.
The news comes after both chambers of Congress agreed on Tuesday to pass a measure requiring the US Justice Department to release its files on Epstein. The measure will then head to the desk of US President Donald Trump for approval.
Summers has taken 'full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr Epstein' and expressed his desire to rebuild trust and repair relationships.
Summers held senior posts under two Democratic presidents, serving as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton and director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama. He led Harvard from 2001 to 2006 and remains a professor there.
Following Summers' announcement, the Center for American Progress confirmed that he was no longer affiliated with the organization.
Summers joined the board of OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, in 2023 after a failed attempt to oust CEO Sam Altman.
