"As an expert in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, I made my contribution to Arica's premillennia futuristic book: " What's in the Future?" (Published in 1999) in comments and professional remarks. This book analyzes the achievements of the 20th century and gives forecasts for the future in 9 diverse fields; satrting in the Computer and Digital World, Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology and Physics and ending with World Climate, Human Migration, World Politics and Religions. I regard this book as an important university textbook and I use it as one of my compulsory books in my teaching in different universities and colleges in Israel".



 

Hatsofe 10th September (Jewish New Year) 1999, p.33  ( ' Click here for the actual Hatsofe article ' )

 
Our lives in the next millennium, according to futurist Yigal Arica, Author of What's in the Future

Y2K is Not the Whole Story  by  Shulamit Bloom

An Interdisciplinary Man

Will the phenomenon of "made-to-order" human beings produce geniuses or monsters? Will age gene therapy ensure eternal youth, or is it a sure fire recipe for a population explosion? Robots will do most of the work for us; will they also control us? Will the discovery of other life forms in distant galaxies be a friendly encounter or a deadly confrontation? Will a common religion unify the world, or will holy wars lead to its annihilation? Will atom-sized machines advance mankind or return the world o total chaos?
Which of  these will remain within the scope of fantasy and science fiction, and which will become part of our daily lives in the next generation?
These and other questions, followed by answers, have been compiled in Dr. Yigal Arica's book- a product of comprehensive, in depth research based on hundreds of scientific magazines, articles and studies. In writing the work, he was guided by experts from every field, including futurism expert Professor Sam Lehman-Wilzig, head of the Public Communications Program at Bar-Ilan University and chairman of the Israel Political Science Association; Professor Adam Friedman, director of the Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Unit at Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus Jerusalem; Dr Efraim Shaket, an expert on computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics; and Professor Yoram Zimmels of the Technion in Haifa, an expert on physics, climate and space.




Haaretz, weekend paper, 27th August 1999,  p.B6  (Review) (' Click here for the Haaretz Article ')


An Instant Guide to the New Renaissance Man by Dafna Levi-Yanovitz

A refrigerator that scolds anyone who consumes too many calories; a toilet that analyzes the findings deposited into it in order to diagnose diseases, and clothes that adapt themselves to the climate. That is how futurist Yigal Arica opens his book What's in the Future, which also tries to predict the way human beings will respond to technological developments.

Since time immemorial, human beings have tried to predict the future. They include prophets, wizards, scientists, as well as Futurists, even though these got their official name only in 1949 when German historian Ossip Fletchtheim coined the term "futurology". In his book, What's in the Future, Yigal Arica joins this illustrious group and tries to peek into the net decades within a wide range of areas-from Biotechnology to religion. It is a cautious peek largely based on an up-to-date review of studies recently carried out at laboratories and academic institutions around the world. The method, it turns out, is very important in the field of prediction-no less so than courage to let one's imagination take flight.