Imagine a world where capitalism wasn't the economic behemoth it is today, where its influence was marginal, its power weak. That's the world Harvard professor Sven Beckert spent eight years exploring, a journey that culminated in his ambitious 1,300-page book, "Capitalism: A Global History." Beckert's quest wasn't to condemn or celebrate capitalism, but to understand its intricate, often brutal, evolution.

Beckert's journey began with a simple observation: his students often perceived capitalism as an inherent, unchanging force. "Often, when I teach the history of capitalism here at Harvard, many of my students think that capitalism is kind of the state of nature. But that’s just not the case when you look at the historical record," he explained from his Cambridge, Mass., home office. This perception, he realized, obscured the complex and contingent nature of capitalism's rise.

His book, the product of extensive global research, aims to achieve two key objectives: to provide a more comprehensive, global perspective on capitalism's history and to "denaturalize" its perceived inevitability. Beckert argues that capitalism is not an eternal truth but a human invention, shaped by deliberate choices, violent conflicts, and groundbreaking institutional innovations.

This perspective challenges the notion that capitalism is a monolithic entity. Instead, Beckert's research reveals a system that has constantly adapted and transformed, driven by diverse actors and shaped by local contexts. This understanding is crucial in an era where AI is increasingly intertwined with economic systems. AI algorithms, trained on vast datasets, are now used to make decisions about lending, hiring, and pricing. These algorithms, like capitalism itself, are not neutral. They reflect the biases and assumptions of their creators and the data they are trained on.

The implications for society are profound. If capitalism is a human invention, so too are the AI systems that are becoming integral to it. This means we have the power to shape these systems, to ensure they promote fairness and equity rather than perpetuating existing inequalities. Recent developments in AI ethics and regulation reflect this growing awareness. Researchers are developing techniques to detect and mitigate bias in AI algorithms, while policymakers are exploring ways to ensure transparency and accountability in AI decision-making.

Beckert's work reminds us that the economic systems we inhabit are not immutable. They are the product of human choices, and we have the power to make different choices. As AI continues to reshape the economic landscape, understanding the historical contingency of capitalism is more important than ever. It allows us to critically examine the assumptions embedded in AI systems and to steer their development in a direction that aligns with our values. Capitalism, in Beckert's telling, is neither eternal nor natural; it’s a human invention that spread and evolved over centuries through deliberate choices, sometimes extraordinary violence, and incredible institutional innovation. The future of capitalism, and the role of AI within it, remains open, waiting for us to shape it.