Agentic artificial intelligence, which as software agents acting on behalf of human users, will threaten some participants in existing value chains, in the same way that internet platforms and apps disrupted commerce and content value chains.
“Disintermediation” is the removal or reduction of intermediaries in any value chain. Disintermediation allows buyers, producers, and consumers to bypass traditional middlemen such as brokers, consultants, customer service agents or logistics coordinators.
Consider any procurement operation.
AI agents can gather and compare data across sources in real time, reducing reliance on human experts or intermediaries for information gathering or product curation. That might threaten some parts of Amazon and other e-commerce platforms, for example.
As was the case with internet retailing, this is going to create new pressures for “price-based” comparisons and some potential diminution of “brand value.”
AI agents then will negotiate price, delivery, and quality parameters autonomously, replicating the human “buy this” operation, and also circumventing many of the marketing practices that assume a human is persuadable during the buying process.
As was the case for internet retailing, agentic AI should create more direct producer–consumer ability to transact directly, without distributors.
Process orchestration also should happen, where the AI unifies and handles procurement, contracting and payment operations that previously might have required multiple apps or systems. In a growing number of cases, this will involve the buyer’s agent negotiating with the seller’s agent, without distributors, advisors, consultants or specialists in between them.
And where internet commerce featured lots of “personalization,” so agentic AI will replace “trusted advisor” or “expert advice supplier” functions and suppliers of those values. “Personalization” and “AI customization” will be analogous outcomes.
Industry / Value Chain Stage | Traditional Intermediary Role | How Agentic AI Enables Disintermediation |
Agentic AI Scenario |
Retail and E-commerce | Online marketplaces (Amazon) aggregate sellers and handle logistics | AI shopping agents directly compare sellers, place orders, and track delivery | Consumers’ personal AI negotiates bulk discounts from multiple retailers and arranges delivery without using a central platform |
Financial Services | Brokers, financial advisors, loan officers | AI evaluates options, performs due diligence, and executes trades or loans | A consumer’s AI portfolio manager automatically reallocates investments across platforms using live market data |
Real Estate | Real estate agents and mortgage brokers | AI agents handle property search, valuation, negotiation, and contract execution | Buyers use AI that identifies undervalued homes, negotiates price, and manages closing paperwork |
Supply Chain & Procurement | Procurement agents, sourcing platforms | AI autonomously sources suppliers, evaluates risk, and executes contracts | A manufacturer’s AI identifies suppliers worldwide and directly contracts best-value inputs without human brokers |
Healthcare | Primary care gatekeepers, medical schedulers, or insurers as coordination intermediaries | AI triages symptoms, recommends providers, and books care directly | AI health assistant evaluates symptoms, finds available doctors, and schedules an appointment — skipping insurer’s pre-authorization layers |
Entertainment / Media Distribution | Streaming platforms, music labels | AI agents match creators directly with audiences and handle rights/licensing smart contracts | Artists’ AIs distribute content directly to audience AIs, who pay micro-royalties automatically |
Travel & Hospitality | Travel agents, comparison websites | AI directly plans and books multi-leg trips, comparing prices and reliability | A traveler’s AI negotiates with airlines and hotels’ AIs to assemble the best route and price |
Legal & Professional Services | Lawyers, notaries, consultants | AI creates, reviews, and files contracts autonomously | SMEs use AI to draft and file incorporation paperwork directly with government APIs |
Education / Training | Universities, training marketplaces | AI tutors create personalized curricula and credentialing directly | Learners use AI tutors that build custom programs, verify mastery, and issue credentials via blockchain |
Advertising & Marketing | Agencies, ad brokers | AI agents buy media and tailor campaigns autonomously | A small business’s AI negotiates ad buys with media outlet AIs in real time, eliminating agency fees |
So among the “dangers” or challenges for e-tailers are new value compression issues, with the correlating danger of profit margin compression.
The danger for e-commerce platforms is a loss of gatekeeper power as more peer-to-peer or agent-to-agent interactions develop.
Brands might also find they face some diminution of “brand value,” just as price comparison sites will shift buyer evaluations in the direction of “lower price.”
