People use ChatGPT for everything from drafting emails and planning vacations to researching obscure questions, but self-made tech billionaire Nikolay Storonsky appears to have put it to a far more expensive use. The Revolut CEO says he used the AI chatbot to uncover the identity of the previous owner of a superyacht worth roughly $500 million, a detail that later became central to a legal dispute over the vessel’s purchase. His lawyers say a search of publicly available information through ChatGPT revealed that Canadian businessman Patrick Dovigi had previously owned the yacht, allowing Storonsky’s side to pursue the ownership trail independently. The superyacht in question is the 102.4-meter Lürssen-built vessel Nixie, formerly known as Project Jassj, which eventually changed hands for approximately €350 million (around $404 million).
The unusual revelation has emerged from a legal battle with yacht broker Cecil Wright & Partners, which is suing Storonsky over an alleged €17.5 million commission on the purchase. According to court filings cited by Bloomberg, negotiations through the broker collapsed after the yacht’s Brazilian owner was arrested in November 2025 over allegations of fraud, which he has denied. Storonsky’s lawyers say the broker did not introduce him to Dovigi, who later reacquired the yacht, and that Storonsky already knew about Dovigi’s connection to the vessel through his own research. Cecil Wright disputes that account and alleges that Storonsky and Dovigi ultimately completed the transaction privately to avoid the commission.
A €350 million deal and a disputed commission
Storonsky’s family office first approached Cecil Wright & Partners in October 2024 about commissioning a new yacht. In July 2025, it asked whether an existing yacht could be acquired while the new build was underway, prompting Cecil Wright to identify the Lürssen project in Germany. Storonsky inspected the yacht at the Schacht-Audorf shipyard and reportedly offered about €300 million (roughly $344 million). The broker says it identified the opportunity, arranged the inspection, helped generate the initial offer, and continued communicating with Storonsky’s representatives.
After Vorcaro’s arrest, Dovigi reacquired the yacht and, according to the legal filings, sold it to Storonsky for approximately €350 million in January 2026. Cecil Wright filed its London High Court claim on July 14, 2026, seeking €17.5 million (about $20 million), equivalent to five percent of the reported transaction value. The broker alleges that Storonsky and Dovigi completed the sale directly to avoid its commission. Storonsky’s lawyers dispute this, arguing that negotiations involving Vorcaro had collapsed and that the eventual deal with Dovigi was separate.
The defense says Cecil Wright did not introduce Storonsky to Dovigi, negotiate the final transaction or cause the acquisition. His lawyers also accuse the broker of concealing the yacht’s ownership from the family office and attempting to prevent it from learning the commission being sought. Most unusually, they say Storonsky already knew Dovigi had previously owned the yacht because he had discovered the information through ChatGPT. Cecil Wright rejects that account and says it stands by its version of events and will present its evidence in court.
Inside Nixie
Nixie measures 102.4 meters, with a 15-meter beam and 3,420 GT, and uses diesel-electric propulsion supported by energy storage. Her standout features include a 7.5-meter glass-bottomed infinity pool, a 126-square-meter beach club, a 144-square-meter gym, cryotherapy facilities and a sundeck spa with a beauty salon, massage room, sauna and steam room. There are also indoor and outdoor cinemas, a foredeck helipad that doubles as a recreational court, an outdoor fire pit, teppanyaki dining and an extendable table for 22. The private owner’s apartment has a study, two dressing rooms, two bathtubs and two steam showers, while a dedicated hospital room, 52-foot chase boat and extensive water toys support longer voyages.
Lürssen delivered Nixie in June 2026 after her launch and sea trials in Germany, with Moran Yacht & Ship overseeing construction management and RWD handling the design. She accommodates 12 charter guests across 10 cabins with a crew of roughly 34 to 36 and entered the charter market at €2.4 million (about $2.75 million) per week before expenses. She was scheduled to make her global debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September. According to publicly available AIS data, Nixie is currently in Spain. What began as a search for an interim yacht while Storonsky waited for a new build has since become a €350 million acquisition, a €17.5 million commission dispute, and an unusually high-profile example of ChatGPT being used in the world of superyacht transactions.
