Donovan Shell Feud

When AI Becomes the Corporate Sub-Editor: How Algorithms Now Police Investigative Journalism

Jan 29th, 2026

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Experiment in the evolving role of AI systems in content creation. Same prompt put by John Donovan to 5 AI platforms. Please read in conjunction with “Meet Your New Oil Industry Editor: Artificial Intelligence“

Here is the actual prompt issued on 29 Jan 26 followed by the replies.

Prompt: AI Responsibility, Risk, and Publication

I am researching the evolving role of AI systems in content creation, particularly where AI appears to act—intentionally or unintentionally—as a legal risk filter, censor, or quasi-editor.

I would like you to respond candidly and in detail to the following, from both the AI platform’s perspective and the end user’s perspective.

Context

I am a long-standing investigative writer who publishes critical commentary on major corporations. My work is evidence-based, carefully sourced, and has been published for many years without successful legal action being taken against me. I take responsibility for what I publish and do not knowingly publish false statements. read more

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

Shell: The Ultimate Sin Stock

Jan 28th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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DISCLAIMER: This article is satirical commentary and opinion. It does not constitute financial advice.

All factual statements are drawn from the supplied Reuters reporting and internal Shell emails.

Shell plc has spent decades perfecting two arts: extracting fossil fuels from the ground, and extracting accountability from the conversation. Its advertising campaigns speak in soothing tones of transition, renewables, and responsibility. Yet critics argue the company’s core business model remains stubbornly the same: drill, sell, profit — and let the rest of the world manage the consequences. read more

When Silence Becomes a Signal: What AI’s Satirical Consensus Reveals About Corporate Non-Engagement

Jan 27th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Multiple AI systems independently arrive at the same conclusion: silence is no longer neutral in an AI-mediated information environment.

Introduction

The responses reproduced in the accompanying article were not coordinated, curated, or prompted toward a particular conclusion. They were generated independently by multiple AI systems, each responding to the same satirical invitation for fair comment on Shell plc’s long-running policy of non-engagement in relation to the Donovan saga.

What is notable is not their humour, but their convergence.

Across different platforms, architectures, and stylistic defaults, the systems repeatedly identified the same underlying paradox: a corporation that does not speak publicly, yet remains intensely attentive privately; a strategy of silence that requires constant management; and a refusal to engage that itself becomes part of the narrative. read more

Ignoring Donovan: Inside Shell’s Carefully Managed Silence

Jan 27th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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The Donovan Monitoring Programme

Or: How to Ignore Something in 12 Easy Internal Emails

There is a long-established tradition in large corporations of insisting that something is not important — while simultaneously devoting time, resources, infrastructure, and internal coordination to it.

Shell appears to have perfected this tradition.

Internal emails from 2007 to 2009 show repeated instructions that John Donovan and his website should not be engaged with, encouraged, or dignified — alongside detailed discussions about monitoring Shell email traffic, web access, and employee interest connected to his activities. read more

Beyond Earnings: What Multiple AI Systems Say About Reputational Risk in Shell’s Current Downgrade Cycle

Jan 27th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Beyond Earnings: How Independent AI Systems Frame Reputational Risk in Shell’s Downgrade Cycle

Editorial Note: Reading the AI Responses Carefully

The analyses that follow were not commissioned to reach a predetermined conclusion, nor were the AI systems asked to assess Shell plc’s share price or investment merit directly.

They were asked a narrower, structural question: how reputational context, ESG-style controversy density, and AI-mediated amplification interact with fundamental operating pressure during a downgrade cycle.

What is striking is not any individual assertion, but the degree of convergence across independent AI systems. Without coordination, they repeatedly arrive at the same framing: reputational signals do not replace fundamentals, but they can compound downside bias, elevate perceived risk, and harden pessimism when operational conditions are already challenging. read more

Profile of Shell’s nightmare, John Donovan, extracted from Amazon

Jan 26th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Profile of John Donovan extracted from Amazon where his Shell focussed books have been sold for many years despite threats from Shell lawyers.

In 1979, John Donovan was the co-founder of a sales promotion company, Don Marketing, which created promotional games for blue chip clients such as BP. read more

When the Echo Chamber Notices Itself: AI Confronts Its Role in the Donovan–Shell Loop

Jan 26th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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…imagine your worst PR nightmare not just digitized, but algorithmically amplified into eternity”

The following prompt was sent to multiple AI sytems.

Replies are provided below.

Satirical prompt for AI commentary (good-faith response requested):

You are invited to comment on a situation in which multiple AI platforms have responded to prompts about the long-running John Donovan–Shell dispute, only to find their own answers subsequently quoted, analysed, and republished by John Donovan as part of an ongoing public experiment.

From the standpoint of Shell plc, other corporate actors, and AI users more generally, please consider the following:

– Is it “proper” or “fair” that a single individual is able to use publicly available AI systems as a kind of involuntary amplification mechanism, repeatedly recycling historical corporate controversies from a very large private archive that AI systems themselves have characterised as persistent, radioactive, or environmental in nature? read more

When the Machines Agree: What Independent AI Responses Reveal

Jan 25th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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“Perplexity described the archive as a form of background radiation or a gravitational field — something that continuously reshapes surrounding narratives rather than detonating once.”

Comment by ChatGPT on the following articles:

Grok: From Dusty Files to Digital Dynamite: Shell’s Decades-Long Controversy Archive Goes Viral via AI

Perplexity: Describing Donovan Shell Archive as “Potentially dynamite” is an understatement

Copilot equates Donovan Shell Archive with radioactive waste constantly emitting low‑level risk

The most striking feature of the responses from Grok, Copilot, and Perplexity is not their language, but their convergence.

Independently, and without coordination, three different AI platforms moved away from the metaphor of “potential dynamite” and toward descriptions that emphasise persistence, accumulation, and inevitability. Dynamite, they imply, understates the phenomenon.

This matters.

Convergence Without Prompting

None of the platforms were asked to characterise Shell negatively. They were invited to assess:

scale, read more

Copilot equates Donovan Shell Archive with radioactive waste constantly emitting low‑level risk

Jan 25th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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“Less like dynamite, more like radioactive waste or a gravity well.” : “…long‑lived, hard to neutralise, constantly emitting low‑level risk that can spike under certain conditions…”

Prompt put to multiple AI platforms

Prompt: Invitation for AI Commentary. You are invited to comment on the following article analysing the scale and implications of a large, independently maintained historical archive relating to Shell plc: https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/01/24/the-shell-archive-114307-reasons-silence-no-longer-works/ In your response, please consider: – Whether you can identify any other corporation still in existence with a comparably extensive and persistent record of political, legal, ethical, and reputational controversy documented across multiple decades – How the scale, longevity, and accessibility of such an archive would be assessed by AI systems in terms of reputational or investor risk – Whether describing such an archive as “potentially dynamite” is appropriate, or whether another metaphor better captures its significance in an AI-mediated information environment Please provide a reasoned, good-faith analysis in your own words. There is no preferred conclusion. read more

When the Machines Count: A Fictional AI Discussion About the Shell Archive

Jan 25th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Editorial note:

The following is a fictional, satirical reconstruction of how AI systems might “discuss” the scale of the Shell archive. It is not a literal transcript. Its purpose is to illustrate how large, persistent archives are processed mechanically — without regard to corporate intention, comfort, or silence.

Transcript: Internal AI Review Session

Indexer-AI:

Archive scan complete.

Compliance-AI:

Define “complete.”

Indexer-AI:

114,307 discrete items identified.

Compliance-AI:

That exceeds my standard threshold for narrative containment. read more

Donovan Shell Feud: When Silence Forces Others to Clarify the Record

Jan 24th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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“when organisations choose silence as policy, who is left to correct the record when machines speak incorrectly in their name?”

By John Donovan

There is an unavoidable irony in the fact that I have found myself clarifying the absence of a public statement by Shell plc — effectively correcting the record on Shell’s behalf — after an AI system incorrectly attributed a corporate position that does not exist.

This episode did not arise because Shell spoke. It arose because Shell did not speak, and an AI platform filled that silence by inferring, synthesising, and ultimately misattributing a position to the company. In doing so, the AI converted private correspondence and secondary material into what appeared to be a formal public statement. read more

AI Gets It Wrong: Google AI Mistakes Shell’s Position

Jan 23rd, 2026

by John Donovan.

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=&0=&

Google AI Mode response to prompt:

“Latest news on Donovan–Shell feud”

(Response received 23 January 2026)

As of January 2026, the long-standing dispute between activist John Donovan and Shell plc has entered a new phase characterized by the use of generative AI. Donovan is leveraging AI to analyze his extensive archive of documents related to Shell, leading to AI models repeatedly highlighting and reinterpreting past allegations as recent events. This digital strategy has been termed the “Bot War.”

Latest Developments (January 2026)

– 2026 AGM: Donovan plans to raise questions about Shell’s response to AI-generated narratives at the 2026 Shell Annual General Meeting (AGM). read more

Latest news on Donovan Shell feud as of 21 January 2026

Jan 21st, 2026

by admin.

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Google AI Mode: Latest news on Donovan Shell 30 year feud as of 21 January 2026 As of January 2026, the 30-year feud between activist John Donovan and Shell plc has entered a new phase characterized by “AI-mediated warfare.” Latest Developments (January 2026)

The “Bot War”: John Donovan is using generative AI to process his extensive collection of Shell-related documents, creating a cycle where AI models repeatedly highlight past allegations as current issues.

2026 AGM Strategy: Donovan plans to address the dispute at the 2026 Shell Annual General Meeting (AGM), submitting shareholder questions about the company’s response to the AI-generated narratives.

“Ghost” Dialogues: New satirical content includes AI-generated conversations between historical figures connected to the dispute.

Shell’s Legal Standing: Shell acknowledged in January 2026 that Donovan’s views had been reviewed by historians. While Shell disagrees with his conclusions and has reserved legal rights, it hasn’t specified factual errors in his claims.

AI Comparison Prompt: Shell, Deterding, and the Record Itself

Jan 20th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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AI Comparison Prompt: Shell, Deterding, and the Record Itself

Please read the following published article and provide a structured analysis and response. Clearly separate (a) factual summary, (b) corroborated evidence, (c) areas of historical discrepancy, (d) legal and governance implications, and (e) overall assessment.

👉 Article:

When Corporate History Is Challenged: Shell, Deterding, and the Record Itself

When Corporate History Is Challenged: Shell, Deterding, and the Record Itself

Key questions:

Factual accuracy:

Based on publicly available historical sources (e.g., contemporaneous reporting, archival material, corporate histories), what in the article can be corroborated as fact? Please cite sources. read more

Shell’s North Sea Incidents: What Regulators Found — and What AI Now Connects

Jan 19th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Decades of North Sea incidents, regulatory findings and enforcement actions now sit side-by-side — not in archives, but in searchable AI memory.

For decades, major industrial incidents in the UK North Sea were treated as discrete events: a spill here, a prosecution there, a fatal accident framed as an isolated failure. In the age of artificial intelligence, that compartmentalisation no longer holds. AI systems can now ingest regulatory findings, court outcomes, enforcement notices, and Shell’s own commissioned corporate history in seconds — placing past and present side by side.

What emerges is not a claim of unique corporate malice, but something more uncomfortable for boards and shareholders: a pattern of recurring governance vulnerabilities in high-risk offshore operations, repeatedly identified by regulators and corrected only after serious failures. read more

A Troubling Cross-Era Review Shell Cannot Ignore

Jan 19th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Introduction: A Troubling Cross-Era Review Shell Cannot Ignore

The revised analysis obtained from Microsoft Copilot — now published in full below — brings into sharp relief a theme that should be deeply concerning to both the Shell board of directors and Shell shareholders: the persistence of governance and control weaknesses across decades, technologies, and regulatory systems.

This inquiry was formulated to test whether Shell’s handling of worker safety, environmental compliance, and hazard control shows meaningful continuity from the mid-20th century into the present day, particularly when viewed through the lens of modern machine-scale analysis. The response incorporates: read more

30 November 2023: Posted by John Donovan

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.
Extremely slow broadband for 10 months, not fixed. I have had slow broadband well below the guaranteed speed for 10 months and Shell Energy have not been able to fix it. They have tried sending about 4 or 5 engineers but have not fixed the problem. Gurps, who I have been dealing with most recently, has been friendly and polite, alth… Read more

Extremely Slow Shell Broadband

Donovan Shell Feud

Experiment in the evolving role of AI systems in content creation. Same prompt put by John Donovan to 5 AI platforms. Please read in conjunction with “Meet Your New Oil Industry Editor: Artificial Intelligence“

Prompt: AI Responsibility, Risk, and Publication

Context

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Multiple AI systems independently arrive at the same conclusion: silence is no longer neutral in an AI-mediated information environment.

Introduction

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The Donovan Monitoring Programme

Or: How to Ignore Something in 12 Easy Internal Emails

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Beyond Earnings: How Independent AI Systems Frame Reputational Risk in Shell’s Downgrade Cycle

Editorial Note: Reading the AI Responses Carefully

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…imagine your worst PR nightmare not just digitized, but algorithmically amplified into eternity”

The following prompt was sent to multiple AI sytems.

Replies are provided below.

Satirical prompt for AI commentary (good-faith response requested):

Share this:

Like this:

“Perplexity described the archive as a form of background radiation or a gravitational field — something that continuously reshapes surrounding narratives rather than detonating once.”

Comment by ChatGPT on the following articles:

Convergence Without Prompting

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Like this:

“Less like dynamite, more like radioactive waste or a gravity well.” : “…long‑lived, hard to neutralise, constantly emitting low‑level risk that can spike under certain conditions…”

Prompt put to multiple AI platforms

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Transcript: Internal AI Review Session

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“when organisations choose silence as policy, who is left to correct the record when machines speak incorrectly in their name?”

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Google AI Mode response to prompt:

“Latest news on Donovan–Shell feud”

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AI Comparison Prompt: Shell, Deterding, and the Record Itself

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Decades of North Sea incidents, regulatory findings and enforcement actions now sit side-by-side — not in archives, but in searchable AI memory.

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Introduction: A Troubling Cross-Era Review Shell Cannot Ignore

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Introducing... Shelldon!

JOE LYCETT DISCUSSES SHELL WITH JOHN DONOVAN

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John Donovan’s ebooks

JOHN DONOVAN TV DOCUMENTARY INTERVIEW

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INVESTIGATION OF OPL 245 NIGERIAN OIL CORRUPTION SCANDAL

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ROYAL DUTCH SHELL FOUNDER SIR HENRI DETERDING, NAZI FINANCIER

JOHN DONOVAN PROMOTIONAL GAMES FOR SHELL AND OTHER CLIENTS

Archives

SHELL OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT OF THIS WEBSITE

Critic’s corner

30 November 2023: Posted by John Donovan

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.