Short Answer: What is Google doing with AI Max?
Between September 1 and 30, 2026, Google is automatically upgrading every Search campaign that still uses campaign-level Broad Match or legacy Automatically Created Assets to AI Max, its bundle of AI-driven targeting and creative features. There is no option to keep the old settings, new legacy campaigns can no longer be created, and Dynamic Search Ads follow the same forced path in February 2027.
Quick Summary
- Affected now: campaigns using campaign-level Broad Match or Automatically Created Assets (ACA). Auto-migration runs September 1–30, 2026.
- Since August 3, you can no longer create new campaign-level Broad Match or legacy ACA campaigns in the UI, Editor, or API.
- Dynamic Search Ads get in-account upgrade notices now, then forced migration February 1–28, 2027, when new DSA ad groups are permanently disabled.
- AI Max turns on search term matching (keywordless query matching) and, for ACA campaigns, text customization (AI-generated headlines and descriptions).
- Brand inclusions and exclusions carry over. There is no opt-out after the deadline.
Google has set a firm timeline for moving advertisers off its older Search campaign structures and onto AI Max for Search. Search Engine Land first reported the schedule, which Google has since confirmed through in-account notices and its Ads & Commerce blog.
What Is AI Max for Search?
AI Max is not a new campaign type. It is a set of AI-driven features you switch on inside a standard Search campaign. The three core pieces are:
- Search term matching. Uses broad match and “keywordless” technology to show your ads for queries Google judges relevant, regardless of the keywords in your ad group. This is the piece that most reduces an advertiser’s direct control over which searches trigger ads.
- Text customization. Generates headlines and descriptions on the fly, pulling from your landing pages, existing ads, and generative AI to match each user’s search intent, rather than serving the same responsive search ad combinations to everyone.
- Final URL expansion. Sends clicks to the most relevant page on your site, which may not be the final URL you set.
Google positions AI Max as a way to capture high-intent queries that a fixed keyword list would miss. The trade-off is that more of the targeting and creative decisions move from the advertiser to Google’s models.
What Is the Migration Timeline?
| Date | What Happens |
|---|---|
| August 3, 2026 | Creation of new campaign-level Broad Match and legacy Automatically Created Assets blocked across the Google Ads UI, Editor, and API |
| September 1–30, 2026 | Automatic migration of existing campaign-level Broad Match and ACA campaigns to AI Max, rolling out gradually across the month |
| September 2026 | Dynamic Search Ads campaigns begin receiving in-account notices encouraging a voluntary upgrade |
| January 15, 2027 | Reminder notifications sent to remaining DSA advertisers |
| February 1–28, 2027 | Automatic migration of Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max; creation of new DSA ad groups permanently disabled |
| Around September 2027 | Older Google Ads API versions that still support the legacy Broad Match and ACA entities reach their scheduled sunset |
Google originally grouped DSAs into the same September window, then delayed that piece to February 2027 to give advertisers more transition time. The Broad Match and ACA migration was not delayed.
What Changes in a Migrated Campaign?
Google says campaigns move “using equivalent AI Max settings to minimize disruption,” and that existing brand inclusion and exclusion lists carry over automatically. In practice:
- Campaigns that used campaign-level Broad Match get search term matching turned on.
- Campaigns that used Automatically Created Assets get search term matching plus text customization.
- You keep the ability to add negative keywords, brand exclusions, and text guidelines that restrict specific terms in generated copy — but these are now guardrails on an AI system rather than direct controls.
The shift echoes what is happening on other platforms. PPC Land reported that Meta has been removing manual ad placement controls from its Ads Manager over the same period, and OpenAI’s ad product generates ad creative for advertisers rather than accepting fixed assets. The direction across the major ad platforms is the same: fewer manual levers, more model-managed delivery.
Why Does This Matter for Advertisers?
For teams that run tightly controlled Search campaigns, the forced move raises a few practical concerns:
- Query control. Keywordless matching can surface relevant searches a keyword list would miss, but it can also spend budget on loosely related queries. Search term reports and negative keyword lists become more important, not less.
- Brand and message control. AI-generated headlines and descriptions may not match a brand’s voice or compliance requirements. Text guidelines and term exclusions are the only lever, and they need to be set before copy starts generating.
- Reporting and attribution. When Google chooses the query, the asset, and the landing page, it is harder to isolate what drove a result, which complicates optimization and client reporting.
- Tooling. Scripts, bid-management platforms, and custom API integrations that reference legacy Broad Match or ACA entities will break as those entities are removed from newer API versions.
What Should You Do Before Your Campaigns Migrate?
- Identify which campaigns still use campaign-level Broad Match or Automatically Created Assets, since those are migrating this month.
- Review search term reports now and build out negative keyword lists so keywordless matching has clear boundaries from day one.
- Set text guidelines and term exclusions at the campaign level before text customization activates, so generated copy stays on-brand.
- Confirm your brand inclusion and exclusion lists are current, since those carry into the migrated campaign.
- Audit any scripts, third-party tools, or API integrations that touch legacy entities, and update them ahead of the API version sunset.
- Watch spend and conversion quality closely through September and into October, and compare against the pre-migration baseline.
The larger context is that paid search is moving the same way organic search has. Google is consolidating advertisers onto AI-managed campaigns at the same time it reshapes the results page around AI answers. For how the organic side is shifting, see Prompt Insider’s coverage of the future of search and how AI visibility changes paid and organic strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I opt out of the AI Max migration?
No. Google has said there is no option to keep legacy campaign-level Broad Match or Automatically Created Assets settings after the September 2026 migration window. Dynamic Search Ads follow the same forced path in February 2027.
Which campaigns are affected right now?
Campaigns using the campaign-level Broad Match setting or legacy Automatically Created Assets. Standard keyword-based Search campaigns without those settings are not part of the September auto-migration, though Google continues to promote AI Max adoption across all Search campaigns.
Will my performance change after migration?
It can. Search term matching expands the queries your ads can appear for, and text customization changes the ad copy users see. Google frames the migration as equivalent settings to minimize disruption, but advertisers should monitor spend, query relevance, and conversion quality closely during and after the transition.
What happens to Dynamic Search Ads?
DSA campaigns receive in-account upgrade notices starting in September 2026, reminder notifications on January 15, 2027, and automatic migration to AI Max between February 1 and 28, 2027. After that window, new DSA ad groups can no longer be created.
Do I lose all control over my campaigns?
No, but the controls change character. You keep negative keywords, brand inclusions and exclusions, and text guidelines. These now function as constraints on an AI system rather than as direct settings for keywords, assets, and URLs.
Sources: Search Engine Land, Google Ads & Commerce blog, Google Ads Help, PPC Land.
About the author
Kai Williams
Kai Williams has been in marketing for years, with a long background in SEO before AEO had a name. He stepped into Answer Engine Optimization the moment AI started reshaping how people search, and has been tracking the shift ever since. At Prompt Insider, he covers AEO, AI marketing, and the future of search, breaking down what is changing and what brands need to do about it.
