Democratic economist Larry Summers has resigned from his position on the board of OpenAI as part of his decision to step back from the public eye following criticism over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Summers, who was former President Bill Clinton‘s treasury secretary, said he decided to step back from public life to hopefully “rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.” However, he said he will continue his work teaching.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” he said in a statement shared with multiple news outlets. “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”
Summers and OpenAI confirmed his resignation from the artificial intelligence company’s board of directors Tuesday morning. The move came hours after the House of Representatives and the Senate voted nearly unanimously to have the Justice Department release the full Epstein files.
“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 shared with the Washington Examiner. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress.”
The OpenAI board of directors told the Washington Examiner they “respect his decision” and “appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board.”
Summers was one of several public figures exposed for being connected to Epstein after the House released emails from the late sex offender last week. Summers sought advice from Epstein in his pursuit of a woman he deemed his mentee, and Epstein described himself as the economist’s “wing man.”
Summers stepped down as president of Harvard University in 2006 following a vote of no confidence by the faculty. He has worked as a tenured professor at the university since 1983, taking breaks to serve in the federal government.
“While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me,” he said.
Summers is Harvard’s Charles W. Eliot university professor and teaches two undergraduate courses, according to his university profile. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has called on Harvard to rethink its decision to allow Summers to teach students, echoing this sentiment in a statement to CNN.
“If he had so little ability to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein even after all that was publicly known about Epstein’s sex offenses involving underage girls, then Summers cannot be trusted to advise our nation’s politicians, policymakers, and institutions — or teach a generation of students at Harvard or anywhere else,” Warren said.
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Harvard did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.
Summers also stepped down from his positions at Yale University’s Budget Lab and at the Center for American Progress, according to the Harvard Crimson.
