(MENAFN) Larry Summers, former US Treasury Secretary and ex-Harvard University president, resigned from OpenAI’s board on Wednesday amid public backlash over previously undisclosed communications with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI," Summers said in a statement. He added, "I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress."

OpenAI expressed respect for Summers’ decision and gratitude for his contributions. The resignation comes after Summers’ earlier statement on Monday that he would withdraw from public roles following the emergence of emails revealing long-standing private communications with Epstein.

Summers acknowledged taking "full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein" and said he would maintain teaching responsibilities while stepping back from public duties to rebuild trust.

The newly surfaced emails indicate Summers, who advised both former Presidents Clinton and Obama, repeatedly sought Epstein’s guidance in pursuing a woman he referred to as his mentee. In one email, Epstein described himself as Summers’ “wing man,” while another suggested Summers commented on women’s intelligence relative to men.

The documents are part of the Epstein files, which were released as part of criminal investigations into sex trafficking charges against Epstein, who died in 2019. Congress has mandated the Justice Department to make these files public.

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