Is there an agent role in the disintermediated future of publishing?

In his Fresh Books Blog (Do you need an agent in the tech book market?), literary agent Matt Wagner points to a discussion about agents, how they earn their 15% and how useful they are in today’s business climate, taking place on the weblog of Joe Wikert, an editor at Wiley (Agents: Do You Need One?.
It’s a fascinating discussion and well worth having. The living web is clearly disrupting hidebound traditional publishing infrastructure and while there may always be a role for go-betweens, it would seem obvious that literary agents are themselves due for a reassessment of their role and how they can best give value to the publishing process and be compensated for their skills, contacts, and advice.
Disclosure: Matt Wagner is a former agent with Waterside Productions, Inc. and I am currently associated with that agency, both as an agent and as a writer. (My agent at Waterside is Margot Maley.)