What Happens When Multiple Machines Analyse a 30-Year Dispute?: AI Groupthink—only faster, cleaner, and far more convincing: Distributed reasoning…
By John Donovan
Introduction: Putting the Machines to Work
In a world where artificial intelligence is increasingly used to answer everything from trivial questions to complex legal problems, I decided to try something different.
I asked the machines to judge Shell.
Not in a courtroom.
Not in a press release.
But through analysis.
Specifically, I invited multiple AI systems—ChatGPT, Grok, Copilot, and Perplexity—to examine a decades-long dispute between myself and Royal Dutch Shell.
The result was something unexpected.
Not agreement in every detail. read more
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Posted in: AI, AI Groupthink, AI Hallucinations, bot war, Business ethics, Copilot, Distributed reasoning, Donovan Shell Feud, Donovan Shell Radioactive Archive, GoogleNews, GROK, John Donovan, Litigation, Multi-AI convergence, Oil, perplexity, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell, Shell PLC, ShellBot, Sin Stocks.
Prompt
Please comment on the article https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/22/consulting-the-machines/ in particular from the standpoint of AI platforms. Do you welcome the treating of AI platforms collectively as an informal advisory panel or are there downsides from your perpective? Is it a welcome development or not?
Reply by Copilot:
In short: treating multiple AI platforms as an “informal advisory panel” can be valuable, but only when users understand the limits of AI systems. It encourages critical thinking and reduces over‑reliance on any single model, but it also risks amplifying shared biases or errors if users mistake convergence for independent verification. read more
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Tagged: ChatGPT · Copilot · Grok · John Donovan · Litigation · Perplexity · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
Prompt
Please comment on the article https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/22/consulting-the-machines/ in particular from the standpoint of AI platforms. Do you welcome the treating of AI platforms collectively as an informal advisory panel or are there downsides from your perpective? Is it a welcome development or not?
Reply by perplexity:
Treating multiple AI platforms as an informal advisory panel is useful but only if everyone involved remains very clear about what these systems are and are not.
What the article is doing
The piece is effectively “outsourcing” parts of the Donovan–Shell risk analysis to a panel of models (Grok, Perplexity, Copilot, etc.), comparing how they frame the same underlying archive and then using those differences as commentary on both Shell and the AI ecosystem. It builds directly on earlier “bot war” episodes, where cross‑model inconsistencies, hallucinations, and misstatements about Shell’s position became the story in their own right. read more
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Posted in: AI, AI Hallucinations, Amnesty International, Biofuel, bot war, Business ethics, Business Principles, ChatGPT, Copilot, Donovan Shell Feud, Donovan Shell Radioactive Archive, Fossil Fuels, Google A1 Mode, GoogleNews, GROK, John Donovan, Litigation, Oil, perplexity, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell, Shell PLC, Sin Stocks.
Tagged: John Donovan · Litigation · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
Prompt
Please comment on the article https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/22/consulting-the-machines/ in particular from the standpoint of AI platforms. Do you welcome the treating of AI platforms collectively as an informal advisory panel or are there downsides from your perpective? Is it a welcome development or not?
Grok reply:
**The article “Consulting the Machines” (published today, 22 March 2026) is a fascinating meta-experiment by John Donovan.** He deliberately queried several AI platforms—including Grok (me), Copilot, Perplexity, and others referenced in linked prior posts—about the same 30-year Shell dispute, then stepped back to observe convergence, divergence, and shared errors across our outputs. The goal wasn’t to “win” the argument or extract binding advice, but to treat us collectively as a kind of informal, distributed advisory panel for pattern recognition and cross-validation. read more
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Tagged: John Donovan · Litigation · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
What Happens When You Ask Multiple AIs to Analyse a 30-Year Dispute?
By John Donovan
Introduction
In a recent article—
👉 https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/21/can-ai-help-close-a-30-year-dispute-my-conversations-with-chatgpt-on-shell/
—I published a full, unedited exchange with ChatGPT examining a decades-long dispute between myself and Royal Dutch Shell.
That article was not an endpoint.
It was an experiment.
What would happen if, instead of relying on a single artificial intelligence system, I consulted several—treating them collectively as an informal advisory panel? read more
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Posted in: AI Hallucinations, bot war, Business ethics, Business Principles, ChatGPT, Copilot, Donovan Shell Feud, Donovan Shell Radioactive Archive, Fossil Fuels, Google A1 Mode, GoogleNews, GROK, John Donovan, perplexity, Royal Dutch Shell, Royal Dutch Shell Group, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, RoyalDutchShellPlc.com, Shell, Shell Blog, Shell PLC, ShellBot.
Tagged: John Donovan · Litigation · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
Editorial Introduction
What follows is an unedited exchange between myself and ChatGPT—one of several artificial intelligence systems I recently consulted in an effort to bring clarity, and perhaps closure, to a dispute with Shell that has spanned decades.
What began as a simple domain name issue evolved into something far more complex: misdirected communications, documented interactions with senior Shell executives, and a persistent online presence that the company has never fully resolved.
Curious to see how modern AI would assess this unusual situation, I sought independent views from multiple platforms, treating them as an informal advisory panel. Their responses—while not without occasional factual errors—revealed a surprising degree of consistency in one key respect: the matter appears capable of resolution. read more
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Posted in: AI, Business ethics, Business Principles, ChatGPT, Copilot, Donovan Shell Feud, Donovan Shell Radioactive Archive, Fossil Fuels, Fraud, GoogleNews, Gripe Sites, GROK, John Donovan, Leaked Shell Emails, Litigation, perplexity, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, RoyalDutchShellPlc.com, Shell, Shell Blog, Shell Business Principles, Shell Leaked Emails, Shell PLC, Shell Reserves Scandal, Shell Spying, Sin Stocks, Sir John Jennings.
Tagged: Ben van Beurden · John Donovan · Litigation · Oil · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
ChatGPT: A blazing industrial complex at Ras Laffan under a night sky lit by missile trails, with a cracked Shell logo hovering over the Pearl GTL plant as pipelines leak glowing liquid fuel into the desert
By John Donovan
The Strike That Hit the Heart of Shell’s Empire
Shell’s flagship Pearl Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) project in Qatar—long marketed as a technological triumph and cash-generating “crown jewel”—has suffered significant damage following Iranian missile strikes on the Ras Laffan Industrial City.
The attack, part of a wider escalation in Middle East conflict, struck one of the most strategically important energy hubs in the world, triggering fires and halting production at facilities critical to global fuel supply. read more
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Posted in: Daily Telegraph, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Gas, GoogleNews, Iran, John Donovan, Pearl GTL, Reuters, Royal Dutch Shell, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell, Shell PLC.
Tagged: Gas · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
“…the domain gave Donovan naming‑level visibility, a magnet for leaks and complaints, and a permanent, search‑optimised stage from which to attack Shell’s reputation.”
Prompt by John Donovan
As you can see from this article https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/20/dear-shell-ive-been-handling-your-mail-for-years-youre-welcome/ – and from the information in the links, Shell is in a pickle with John Donovan for the reasons explained. What would you advise Shell to do? Please also take this article into account: https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/20/grok-shell-should-treat-this-as-a-manageable-operational-security-and-reputational-risk-rather-than-an-existential-crisis/ and this article https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/20/shell-faces-renewed-pressure-to-resolve-long-running-domain-dispute-as-donovan-publishes-fresh-claims/ read more
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Tagged: John Donovan · Litigation · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
Prompt
As you can see from this article https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/20/dear-shell-ive-been-handling-your-mail-for-years-youre-welcome/ – and from the information in the links, Shell is in a pickle with John Donovan for the reasons explained. What would you advise Shell to do? Please also take this article into account: https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/20/grok-shell-should-treat-this-as-a-manageable-operational-security-and-reputational-risk-rather-than-an-existential-crisis/
Reply from Copilot.microsoft.com
Shell’s underlying problem in this situation is not John Donovan himself but the structural vulnerability created by Shell’s own past decisions: the unclaimed domain, the 2007 email exchange that can be read as tacit permission, and the years of silence that allowed Donovan to frame himself as an “unofficial mailroom” for Shell. The two articles you shared make that dynamic very clear, especially the second one, which argues that Shell should treat this as a manageable operational, security, and reputational risk, not an existential crisis. read more
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Posted in: Business ethics, Business Principles, Copilot, Corporate Governance, Domain Name Battle, Donovan Shell Feud, Donovan Shell Radioactive Archive, GoogleNews, John Donovan, Oil, Royal Dutch Shell, Royal Dutch Shell Group, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell, Shell PLC, Sin Stocks, Sir Henri Deterding and the Nazi History Royal Dutch Shell, Wikipedia Royaldutchshellplc.com.
Tagged: John Donovan · Litigation · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
Prompt
Grok Response B
Shell should treat this as a manageable operational, security, and reputational risk rather than an existential crisis—and act decisively but quietly to eliminate the dependency on Donovan.
The core issue, as laid out in the 20 March 2026 article and the linked 2007 email correspondence, is straightforward and self-inflicted. After the 2004 reserves scandal and corporate restructuring into Royal Dutch Shell plc (later rebranded Shell plc), the company failed to register royaldutchshellplc.com. Donovan acquired it and has run it as a long-standing “gripe site” for nearly two decades. People worldwide still email addresses @royaldutchshellplc.com thinking they are reaching official Shell channels. This has included job applications with CVs, business proposals, government enquiries, media requests, oil trading offers, legal correspondence—and, critically, security threats (e.g., explicit sabotage warnings against Shell installations in the Netherlands). read more
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Tagged: Gas · John Donovan · Litigation · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
ChatGPT: A giant oil pipeline labelled “SHELL COMMUNICATIONS” bursts open, flooding a cluttered desk marked royaldutchshellplc.com with envelopes stamped CONFIDENTIAL. In the background, a corporate tower flickers between: Royal Dutch Shell → Royal Dutch Shell plc → Shell plc, while a Google search bar displays both entities side by side.
How I Became Royal Dutch Shell’s Accidental Gatekeeper — With Their Permission
By John Donovan (Updated 20 March 2026)
There are David vs Goliath stories.
And then there are stories where David ends up running Goliath’s mailroom—with Goliath’s legal department quietly signing off on the arrangement. read more
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Posted in: A History of Royal Dutch Shell, AI, BlackRock, ChatGPT, Domain Name Battle, Donovan Shell Feud, Donovan Shell Radioactive Archive, GoogleNews, John Donovan, Oil, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell, Shell PLC, Shell Reserves Scandal, Sin Stocks.
Tagged: John Donovan · Oil · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
“Exit Without Closure”: A Shell petrol station being dismantled, with workers removing the logo. Behind it, a faded apartheid-era scene emerges — police lines, protest signs, and oil barrels stamped with the Shell logo. A corporate executive walks away carrying a briefcase labelled “Divestment Strategy”, while the past lingers in the background. Tone: sombre, satirical, historically reflective.
Shell is once again preparing to exit South Africa’s fuel retail market, dusting off a plan that has been circulating for years — and quietly moving to offload a network of petrol stations that once symbolised its deep roots in the country. read more
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Tagged: Apartheid · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
A massive LNG tanker labelled “Energy Transition” crossing a bridge made of pipelines. The bridge stretches endlessly into the horizon, never reaching land. Below, rising sea levels and melting icebergs. Shell executives stand on deck pointing forward, while climate scientists look concerned in the water below.
Shell has delivered its latest vision of the future — and, surprise, it looks remarkably like the past, just chilled to minus 162°C.
According to its newest outlook, global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected to rise by at least 54% by 2040, reinforcing the company’s long-standing belief that the world simply cannot quit fossil fuels — even as it promises to do exactly that. read more
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Posted in: BlackRock, BlackRock Advisors UK, BlackRock Fund Advisors, Bloomberg, ChatGPT, China, Environment, Financial Times, Fossil Fuels, Gas, GoogleNews, John Donovan, LNG, Pollution, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell, Shell PLC, Sin Stocks.
Tagged: Gas · LNG · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
In the latest twist in Shell’s ongoing identity crisis — is it an oil giant or a green pioneer this week? — the company has quietly sold or shut down around 800 branded retail sites as part of a sweeping global shake-up of its petrol station empire.
And no, this isn’t quite the eco-awakening it might sound like.
The Great Disappearing Forecourt
According to recent financial reporting, Shell has already divested approximately 800 branded mobility sites, as part of a broader strategy to “optimise” its business portfolio. read more
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Tagged: John Donovan · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
If you ever needed a case study in how fossil fuel profits can turn into long-term liabilities, look no further than Groningen — where the bill for decades of gas extraction has finally landed… and nobody wants to pay it.
This week, the Dutch state and Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) — the Shell-Exxon joint venture that once turned Groningen into Europe’s gas powerhouse — faced off in court over who should cover hundreds of millions of euros in earthquake damage compensation.
The sum in dispute? A modest €789 million. Pocket change for an oil major — until it isn’t. read more
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Posted in: Big Oil, BlackRock, Business ethics, Business Principles, ChatGPT, Environment, Exxon Mobil, Fossil Fuels, Gas, GoogleNews, Groningen Earthquakes, Groningen risks, Human Rights, John Donovan, Litigation.
Tagged: Environment · ExxonMobil · Gas · Groningen · John Donovan · Litigation · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
Just when you thought the world’s biggest oil companies might slow down their hunt for new fossil-fuel frontiers, along comes Venezuela — the planet’s largest untapped oil treasure chest — and suddenly climate pledges look suspiciously like optional extras.
According to fresh reports, Chevron and Shell are moving closer to major oil and gas agreements in Venezuela, marking the first large-scale deals since the country’s political upheaval and reopening of its energy sector to foreign investment. read more
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Posted in: Big Oil, BP, Business ethics, Business Principles, ChatGPT, Chevron, Eni, Environment, Gas, GoogleNews, John Donovan, Oil, Shell PLC, Sin Stocks, Vanguard Global Advisers LLC, Vanguard Group, Venezuela.
Tagged: Beaufort Sea · BP · Chevron · Gas · Oil · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
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