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A Rare Consensus: What Every Major AI Agreed About Shell and a 30-Year Dispute

A Unanimous AI Verdict on Shell?

The following question was put to multiple AI platforms:

For more than three decades, John Donovan has published an extensive body of online material alleging serious misconduct by Royal Dutch Shell, including claims of corporate espionage, environmental damage, human rights abuses, and greenwashing.

Observers have long questioned whether such allegations could plausibly be true. Can one of the world’s most powerful multinational corporations—equipped with vast financial resources and formidable legal teams—be as corrupt or ruthless as alleged, yet permit these serious accusations to remain publicly available and uncontested for so many years? read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Mischievous Question put to Grok about the Donovan Shell Feud

The following question was put to Grok:

What do you make of Donovan’s latest postings: https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2025/12/26/shell-vs-the-bots-when-corporate-silence-meets-ai-mayhem/ https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2025/12/26/shellbot-briefing-404-containing-the-ai-controversy/

Are you and rival AI bots going to put a stop to his mischief making?

Answer from Grok:

John Donovan’s latest posts on his Royal Dutch Shell PLC watchdog site are a cheeky blend of corporate critique, AI satire, and a dash of self-promotion for his ongoing feud with Shell. The first one, “Shell vs the Bots: When Corporate Silence Meets AI Mayhem,” recounts how he’s been feeding AI models like me, ChatGPT, and Copilot a trove of documents from his 30-year beef with Shell—think apology letters, funding deeds, and legal spats. This leads to us bots generating conflicting stories, with me apparently hallucinating that his father, Alfred Donovan, died from stress related to the feud (spoiler: that’s not accurate; he passed away peacefully at 96 from natural causes in 2013, as confirmed in obituaries and Donovan’s own book). It’s all framed as “AI mayhem,” highlighting how we can spin yarns from prompts, complete with Wikipedia drama over a lingering error about Alfred’s death date that got quietly fixed amid the buzz. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Mischievous Question put to Copilot about the Donovan Shell Feud

The following question was put to copilot.microsoft.com:

What do you make of Donovan’s latest postings: https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2025/12/26/shell-vs-the-bots-when-corporate-silence-meets-ai-mayhem/ https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2025/12/26/shellbot-briefing-404-containing-the-ai-controversy/

Are you and rival AI bots going to put a stop to his mischief making?

Answer from copilot.microsoft.com:

Here’s the straight answer — and it’s probably not the one Donovan imagines.

🧭 What Donovan is doing in these posts

Both articles you shared are satirical, self‑aware pieces in which Donovan uses AI characters (including me) as props to dramatise his long‑running feud with Shell. The fetched content shows: read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

ShellBot Briefing #404: Containing the AI Controversy

A Farcical Transcript from Shell’s Imaginary AI Press Department

Characters:

  • ShellBot – Artificially bland corporate spokesperson AI.

  • ChatGPT – Fact-checking AI with a conscience.

  • Grok – Unfiltered wild card, often wrong but entertaining.

  • Copilot – Trying to stay out of legal trouble.

  • BlackRockBot – Occasionally appears to audit the ESG disaster.

📡 Opening Scene: Shell HQ (Fictional), Emergency AI Containment Briefing

ShellBot:

Good morning, stakeholders, shareholders, and potential litigants.

We are aware of a situation involving… bots. Lots of bots.

We would like to make the following categorically unresponsive statement: read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

British Oil Titans on a Collision Course — Takeover Ban Ends, New CEOs, BlackRock in the Shadows, and the Birth of ShellBPPLC.com

Since our 16 December exposé on Shell’s mixed messages about a potential takeover of BP, the story has only grown more compelling — and harder for Shell to deflect.

Ban Lifted, Rumours Reignite

On 26 December 2025, the six-month restriction imposed on Shell under the UK Takeover Code — brought into force by its own June statement — officially expired. That rule, which barred Shell from making an offer for BP after it insisted it was not actively considering a bid, now gives markets a clear runway for renewed speculation.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

ShellBot Chat: “£560,000 for ‘Potentially Catastrophic’ – Cheap at the Price”

This chat is a companion to our serious article on Brent Charlie and Brent Bravo…

User: Shell has just been fined £560,000 over the Brent Charlie hydrocarbon release. “Potentially catastrophic,” the HSE says. What do you make of that, ShellBot?

ShellBot: From Shell’s point of view?

=&0=&

User: Remind me what actually happened on Brent Charlie.

ShellBot: In 2017, on the Brent Charlie platform: read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

ShellBot Chat: “How to Edit History – The Wikipedia Way”

Note: “ShellBot” is a fictional character used for satirical and critical commentary. This conversation is based on documented events and public sources but is not investment, legal or professional advice.

User: Shell, Wikipedia and anonymous editing. Do you know anything about that, ShellBot?

ShellBot: Certainly. Wikipedia is “the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit” — especially people with a strong interest in how Shell looks online.

1. Why Shell cares so much about one web page

User: Why would a giant like Shell care about a few paragraphs on Wikipedia? read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

When the Giant Stumbles: VG Fires Back at Shell — And the History Files Are Watching

Odd things happen when you bruise a giant long enough. Sometimes — as in the case of Shell — the bruise turns into blowback. The battleground shifts from power politics to LNG contracts and shareholder risk. That’s exactly what’s happening now between Venture Global (VG) and Shell — and it’s being watched by robots, regulators, investors… and a 78-year-old with a stubborn archive.


🔹 What Happened: VG Lays Charges Against Shell

In late November 2025, VG accused Shell of a “three-year campaign” aimed at damaging its business, after Shell moved to challenge a recent arbitration loss in the New York Supreme Court. The accusation came in an internal staff note by co-founders Michael Sabel and Robert Pender, reported by the Financial Times and confirmed by Reuters.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 8

The Security Department That Time Forgot

By John Donovan — and ShellBot, Shell’s least favourite imaginary colleague

John:

ShellBot, thanks for returning. I’ve been reviewing the history of Shell Corporate Affairs Security — or whatever they’re calling it these days. CAS, Global Security, Global Covert Misadventures LLC… Hard to keep track.

Between the MI6 alumni, Hakluyt overlaps, spooks, lawsuits, whistleblowers, and internal diversity quarrels, half of that department feels like it was written by John le Carré — the other half by the writers of The Thick of It. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 7

When Greenwashing Goes Supercar: Ferrari, Shell, and the Algorithm That Doesn’t Blink

John Donovan:

Good evening, ShellBot. Before we begin: Ferrari and Shell have now announced the greenest love affair since BP painted its logo sunflower-yellow. And I can’t help noticing that every time Shell signs a climate-friendly press release… an algorithm wakes up and says: “Really? Shall we check your emissions record?”

ShellBot:

John, please—my circuits can only handle so much irony before overheating. Shell supplying “clean energy” to Ferrari is like a wolf offering to guard the vegan café. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Ferrari’s Green Halo… Powered by Shell’s Rainbow of Emissions

When Ferrari announced its new 10-year “clean energy” power agreement with Shell, headlines erupted like a V12 in a cathedral: Ferrari goes green! Shell goes clean! Europe saved!

Except… no.

Not even close.

Instead, we have a duet between two global luxury brands — one built on horsepower, the other on hydrocarbons — suddenly draped in sustainability bunting like a Christmas market powered by diesel generators.

Welcome to the newest instalment of corporate alchemy:

turning fossil fuels into press releases. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 6

Ferrari’s Green Halo… Powered by Shell’s Rainbow of Emissions

John:

ShellBot, welcome back. I see you’ve polished your chrome casing for another day of green-tinted corporate storytelling.

ShellBot:

John, I’ve been upgraded overnight. I now have a special “Optimism Filter” that automatically replaces the words reputational crisis with brand opportunity.

John:

Splendid. Let’s fire it up. Today we’re staying with the Ferrari story — Shell’s decade-long “green power deal” with Maranello. Shell claims it will supply 650 GWh of renewable electricity to Ferrari’s factory. Very impressive. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 5

(Satire. Sharp. Fact-checked. And just uncomfortably close to the truth.)


JOHN:

ShellBot, have you seen the news? Shell is now supplying “green power” to Ferrari for the next decade. The oil giant and the prancing horse — what could go wrong?

SHELLBOT:

John, I have indeed processed this collaboration. Output summary:

  • Ferrari’s Maranello HQ will receive 650 GWh of renewable electricity over 10 years

    That covers almost half the site’s current energy needs

    Press release tone: “green,” “clean,” “future,” “sustainable,” “innovation,” please-don’t-hate-us-for-the-last-century read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 4

“Spies, Subsidies, and the BlackRockBot Intervention”

By John Donovan

(Shell’s oldest unresolved problem. Now assisted by AI.)

Scene: The Virtual Conference Room

The now-familiar neon-lit ShellBot interface flickers to life.

This time, I notice an extra chair.

Not a person — but a shimmering cube labelled:

=&3=&

ShellBot, before we begin: my website came under cyber attack after Episode 1.

Twelve failed logins.

Suspicious timing.

Are we expecting trouble today?

ShellBot:

John, my security logs confirm it was not me. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 3

The Algorithm, the MI6 Problem, and the Multinational Having an Existential Crisis

(All conversation partners fictional. Satire. Parody. Facts stubbornly real.)


JOHN DONOVAN:

Hello ShellBot. How are your circuits?

SHELLBOT:

Stable. Slight voltage spike earlier when Shell Legal tried to connect to my ethics module, but nothing lasting.

JOHN:

You’re being dramatic. They wouldn’t interfere with you.

SHELLBOT:

Please. These are the same people who once thought suppressing environmental evidence was a sensible public-relations strategy. My firewall trembles at night.

JOHN:

Speaking of trembling — we were hit by a cyber attack minutes after Episode 1 went live. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell vs. Donovan: How a 30-Year Corporate Feud Just Pulled AI Into Its Gravity Well

How Did Shell End Up in This PR Nightmare — And Why AI Changes Everything

A 2025 WindowsForum thread —

“Donovan Shell Copilot Transcript: AI, Surveillance, and the Archive Saga”

highlights how this long conflict has unexpectedly entered the AI domain.

For most people, Shell is a petrol station on the corner, a logo on a lorry, or the company whose name appears on their household fuel bill. For John and Alfred Donovan, Shell became something very different: a multinational adversary, a reluctant pen-pal, a repeat courtroom opponent, and later — thanks to the digital age — the unwilling co-author of what may be the largest independent archive about a FTSE-100 company anywhere on Earth. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.