Chapter 4, "Full Automation: Post-Scarcity in Labour," is the first chapter under Part II, titled "New Travellers". This section of the book examines what the world "is, or rather as it is becoming," by looking at seemingly disparate technologies in automation, energy, resources, health, and food, before concluding that these foundations are cohering for a society that moves "beyond both scarcity and work". This chapter delves directly into the implications of full automation by posing a key question from The Economist: "What happens when ... machines are smart enough to become workers? In other words, when capital becomes labour?". This technological shift challenges the traditional belief in classical political economy that human labor would always remain distinct from "capital stock" (such as machinery and tools).

The central conflict explored in this chapter is the potential collapse of labor value that arises if human-made tools can subsequently perform any task humans complete. This concern is encapsulated in a famous anecdote involving Henry Ford II and union leader Walter Reuther. When touring a new factory floor, Ford reportedly asked how his industrial robots would pay their union dues, to which Reuther countered, "Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?". This exchange highlights the paradox central to the future of capitalism: capitalists want to eliminate workers to save money, yet they also need affluent consumers to maintain demand for their mass-produced products. While Henry Ford I had intuited this need by supporting higher wages and shorter work weeks to ensure employees could afford the products they created, Chapter 4 addresses whether this historic compromise can survive as accelerating automation begins to define the future.