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Putting the value of the profession aside for a moment, the role of pro copy editor was tailor-made for the world of centralized and industrialized publications and communications systems. We are rapidly entering a world of decentralized publications/communications, which by its nature cannot afford a large infrastructure or teams of personnel. Because of this, there is little room for a pro copy editor, even if there's a need.
This suggests that some of the most vital duties of copy editors will fall upon the creative individuals, some will fall upon automation (computers), and the rest will fall by the wayside... as it has gone for many other professions that fell victim to decentralization. This doesn't mean that copy editors will somehow become unnecessary in the future... just that the decentralized publishers/communicators will largely be forced by circumstance to provide for themselves, and won't be providing employment for many of them.
Like the trolley-car drivers of old, many of them found employment operating the trolley's replacement, the bus... but few of them found employment driving people's cars.
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