ISTANBUL

Former US Treasury Secretary and Harvard University President Larry Summers resigned from OpenAI's board of directors on Wednesday following 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 to Axios.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress," he added.

OpenAI's board said in a statement they "respect his decision" and appreciated his contributions and perspective.

The resignation followed Summers' Monday announcement that he would withdraw from public-facing roles after newly surfaced emails revealed long-running private communications with Epstein.

"I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein," Summers told Politico.

He said he would continue teaching obligations while "stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships."

The unearthed emails show Summers, who served under former President Bill Clinton and later advised former President Barack Obama, repeatedly sought Epstein’s guidance in pursuing a woman he described as his mentee.

In one exchange, Epstein called himself the economist’s “wing man,” while another message revealed Summers suggesting that women in aggregate have a lower IQ than men.

The Epstein files are documents related to criminal charges of sex trafficking brought against the offender, who died in 2019.

Both chambers of US Congress have approved a bill requiring the Justice Department to release the files.