I understand you're point that makes sense but i feel most people would use it even for if its debugging errors ect. Also gonna probs get harder and harder to tell whats ai and not. Or how much of it was Ai or not.  Im sure there are people using it but say they are not. 

That's not what I read from the rules of jams.

You also imply that AI is recognised as a form of plagiarism. Which it is not. You can claim, that many view it as unethical, if you want. That would be true. But it is not recognised as a form of plagiarism.

It is wise to research 'how' the data for these AI setups was obtained before you consider using it.  

Your assessment of AI being banned and what you compared it to is reasonable.

The first response literally gave examples of jams where AI is allowed. They also gave a concrete and logical reason why it might not be allowed, which has to do with the inherent nature of restriction-based jams. Working within restrictions is consensual gatekeeping. If you don't like the restrictions, don't participate in the jam.

You are absolutely right! Flat-out rejecting a project just because it uses AI tools risks burying "diamonds in the rough" that possess immense narrative substance. In the case of my project, a VN titled MOS (I won’t reveal the full name yet as I haven't "gifted" it to the itch.io world—though you can "catch" some details on my site), I use AI as a modern brush to visualize a complex literary universe. However, the work is far from "blind generation." Every graphic element, beyond the generation effort which isn't as short as it seems, goes through numerous iterations of AI processing followed by manual refinement in GIMP to align with my "artistic" vision (many elements actually start from my own sketches, etc.).

For an independent author "without time and/or financial resources," AI is the only way to visually support a script exceeding 1 million words in 7 languages (and yes, translated via LLMs), featuring over 1,200 visual assets. I’ll admit, as an illustrator, I range somewhere between "abysmal and decent"... but the time required to move from "Phase 1" (roughly 15-30 minutes) to "Phase 2" takes me anywhere from an hour to "far too much time" or... right back to "Phase 1." Ultimately, the essence of a Visual Novel remains the "Story" and the "Author's Presence"; technology should be a bridge, not a wall. I’ll take the risk!

By the way, does anyone have a suggestion on how a publisher (a compromise between a "minor" graphic artist and a "major" writer) could otherwise realize a VN that encompasses over 12 published novels, intended to be presented in a "more visual" form? And why not, if I’ve been a "gamer" since the dawn of video games, shouldn't I move to the next level too?

To conclude, a sort of "parable"... Jesus Christ asks a doctor to take his place and interact with his chronic patients. The doctor, as kind as he is devout, grants the request. The first patient enters with terminal cancer (stage 4 metastases). Jesus approaches him, places a hand on his head, and says: "You are now healed! Live your life 'as in heaven'!" The patient leaves and, in the waiting room, the others—noticing there’s a new doctor—ask: "How is the new guy?" He replies: "An idiot. He didn't even take my blood pressure!"

And here is a Romanian linguistic twist: In Romanian, "cancer" (the disease) is phonetically similar to "ca’n cer," which means "as in heaven."

Perhaps this text was also created with AI, or perhaps it wasn't?

It should of course be obvious to come up with a game idea yourself and be creative, to participate in a jam.

But if you draw images by hand or use stock images, asset packs or use gen ai, does not change the creativity of the game itself. It depends on the jam what rules apply, and some jams even are about making games with ai.

And it also depends on the jam organizer why they would not want generative ai things in their jam or how they specify that in their rules. Or what type of ai usage they do not want.

This one here is rather interesting: No AI-generated art in-game, or the project page. You may use AI in design or code, but assets must be human-made. Tools that build the entire game from promps are also not allowed.

So you would be allowed to use an ai to design the actual game! The part that should be the most creative part, in my opinion. But you would not be allowed to use ai gen assets. Or use it to create your game page description.