From September 2026, AI Max Google Ads upgrades become automatic. Google will move eligible Search campaigns to AI Max without asking first. Google’s blog states that “remaining eligible Search campaigns with legacy settings will automatically upgrade to AI Max”. Two legacy settings trigger it in September: automatically created assets, and the campaign-level broad match setting. Dynamic Search Ads campaigns follow separately from February 2027.
AI Max Google Ads: quick summary
- What’s happening: eligible Google Ads Search campaigns using legacy settings are being upgraded to AI Max automatically.
- When: September 2026 for automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match. February 2027 for Dynamic Search Ads.
- What switches on: depends on which legacy setting you use — the two paths get different defaults.
- Can you refuse it? Google publishes no way to decline in advance, but AI Max can be switched off at campaign level afterwards.
- Google’s own advice: upgrade before the deadline rather than after. Their words: “Don’t wait for the automatic upgrades.”
- Time to check your account: about five minutes.
What is AI Max in Google Ads?
Google describes AI Max as “a comprehensive suite of targeting and creative enhancements that brings the best of Google AI to your Search campaigns”. It was announced on 6 May 2025 and expanded globally in September 2025.
In practice it bundles three features:
- Search term matching — widens which queries your ads can appear on, using what Google calls broad match and keywordless technology alongside your landing page content.
- Text customization — generates headlines and descriptions using your existing ads, landing page copy and assets together with generative AI. This is the feature formerly called automatically created assets.
- Final URL expansion — replaces your final URL with a page Google judges more relevant to the query.
Alongside those sit controls Google provides to constrain the system: brand inclusions and exclusions, locations of interest, and URL inclusions and exclusions.
Which Google Ads campaigns are being upgraded to AI Max, and when?
| Legacy setting in your campaign | Upgrade timing |
|---|---|
| Automatically created assets (now “text customization”) | September 2026 |
| Campaign-level broad match setting | September 2026 |
| Dynamic Search Ads | February 2027 |
The Dynamic Search Ads date is worth calling out because a lot of coverage still has it wrong. Google originally grouped DSA into the September timeline, then pushed it back in an update dated 11 June 2026, stating it was “extending the timeline for Dynamic Search Ads sunset and auto-upgrade, which will begin in February 2027”. Google’s stated reason: “We heard your feedback: you need more time to complete the transition.”
On the specific date within September: you’ll see 1 September widely quoted. That date comes from emails Google sent to advertisers, reported by Search Engine Roundtable. Google’s published help documentation says only “starting in September 2026”. We’ve written September 2026 throughout because that’s what Google has actually published — but plan for the first of the month rather than the last.
Which AI Max features are on by default in Google Ads?
This is the detail most summaries get wrong, and it matters because the two September paths behave differently.
| If your campaign uses… | Enabled by default |
|---|---|
| Automatically created assets | Search term matching and text customization |
| Campaign-level broad match | Search term matching only |
| Dynamic Search Ads (Feb 2027) | All three, with your legacy URL controls preserved |
So if you only use campaign-level broad match, Google will not start rewriting your ad copy. It will start matching your ads to a wider set of queries. Different risk, different response.
One dependency to know about: Google states that turning off text customization will also turn off final URL expansion. They can’t be separated in that direction.
And one compatibility note that will catch some accounts: Google states the search term matching feature “will not work with manual CPC bidding”.
Can you opt out of the AI Max Google Ads upgrade?
You cannot decline it in advance — Google publishes no mechanism for that. But you can switch AI Max off at campaign level once it applies, and that is properly documented.
Go to Campaigns → Settings → select the campaign → AI Max, then toggle to opt out of all AI Max settings. Google’s own caveat: “When turned off, all of the AI Max features will be disabled and campaign performance may be impacted.”
Turning it back on later restores your previous configuration. Google states that “Turning AI Max back on will re-enable those settings just as they originally were set.”
There is one genuine one-way door, and it deserves care: Google states that after you disable the legacy automatically created assets feature, “you won’t be able to enable it again”. Switching AI Max off is reversible. Disabling the legacy ACA setting is not.
Be sceptical of anyone telling you there is no opt-out at all. There is no advance decline. That is a different and much less alarming statement.
Does Google recommend upgrading before the deadline?
Yes, explicitly. From Google’s own blog post:
Pro Tip: Don’t wait for the automatic upgrades.
Google Ads & Commerce Blog
Google’s stated reasoning is that transitioning now lets you “maintain full control over your campaign setup” and ensures your configuration is aligned with your business from day one.
That advice is worth taking, and not because Google says so. Upgrading deliberately means you choose which features are on, you set your brand and URL controls first, and you have a clean before-and-after to measure against. Being upgraded automatically means the settings are chosen for you and the change lands in the middle of whatever else your account is doing that week.
How do you check whether your campaigns are affected?
Five minutes in the interface will tell you.
Check for campaign-level broad match
- Go to Campaigns → Settings.
- Tick the campaign and select Edit.
- Look for Broad match keywords. If it reads “On: Use broad match keywords for your entire campaign”, you’re in scope.
Check for automatically created assets
- Go to Campaigns → Settings and select the campaign.
- Open the AI Max section.
- Look under Asset optimization for the Text customization checkbox.
For accounts with many campaigns, the same changes can be made in bulk: select several campaigns, choose Edit, then “Change AI Max settings” or “Change asset optimization settings”.
What reporting do you get after the upgrade?
Better than you might expect, and this is where you’ll do your monitoring. Google adds:
- A search terms and landing pages view specific to AI Max
- A match type value of AI Max in your keyword reports
- An Added by column in asset reports showing “Google AI” where an asset was machine-generated
- A Selected by column in the landing pages report
- Keyword report totals labelled “Total: AI Max expanded matches” and “Total: AI Max landing page matches”
Use them. The search terms view is where you’ll see whether the wider matching is bringing in relevant queries or noise, and the asset report is where you’ll see what Google has written in your name.
What results does Google publish for AI Max Google Ads?
One headline figure, with a caveat attached by Google itself:
Advertisers that activate AI Max in Search campaigns will typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS.
Google Ads Help — “Source: Google internal data, 2025; for non-Retail advertisers.”
Read what that says carefully. It’s more conversions at a similar cost per acquisition — not cheaper conversions. Google publishes no CPA reduction figure for AI Max. And it’s Google’s own internal data rather than independent measurement, which is worth weighing when you set expectations.
One more change: target-based bidding, 17 August 2026
Separate from AI Max but landing weeks earlier, and it affects a lot of accounts.
Google states that “Starting August 17, 2026, Google will be making changes to its bidding systems”. Campaigns limited by budget that use a target-based bid strategy will perform more consistently toward the target you’ve set.
Google’s own example makes the implication clear:
If your campaign’s Target CPA is $10, but your recent actual CPA performance is $5, your campaign will deliver more closely to a $10 actual CPA starting August 17, 2026.
Google Ads Help
If a budget-limited campaign has been quietly beating its target, that headroom goes away. The bid strategies in scope are Target CPA, Target ROAS and Target CPC (Demand Gen only), across Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Demand Gen and Travel campaigns. App campaigns, Video reach and Video view campaigns are excluded. Manual CPC and Target Impression Share are unaffected.
Critically, Google states: “Google will not automatically adjust your bidding targets or budgets.” That’s your job. Filter for campaigns marked “Limited by budget”, compare actual CPA or ROAS against the target that’s set, and where there’s a gap, reset the target to reflect what you’re actually achieving.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly does the AI Max upgrade happen?
Google’s published documentation says “starting in September 2026”. Advertiser emails reported by trade press specify 1 September 2026. Plan for the start of the month.
Can I stop my Google Ads campaigns being upgraded to AI Max?
Not in advance — Google publishes no advance decline. You can switch AI Max off at campaign level after the upgrade via Campaigns → Settings → AI Max.
Will AI Max rewrite my ad copy?
Only if text customization is on. Campaigns upgraded because of automatically created assets get it by default. Campaigns upgraded because of campaign-level broad match get search term matching only.
Are Dynamic Search Ads campaigns being upgraded in September too?
No. Google extended the DSA timeline in June 2026. Dynamic Search Ads sunset and auto-upgrade begins February 2027.
Does AI Max work with manual CPC bidding?
Not fully. Google states the search term matching feature will not work with manual CPC bidding.
Will AI Max reduce my cost per conversion?
Google doesn’t claim that. Its published figure is 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS, from Google internal data for non-Retail advertisers.
What we’d do in your Google Ads account before AI Max lands
Audit which campaigns are in scope and which legacy setting triggers them, set brand and URL controls before the features switch on rather than after, upgrade deliberately on a schedule you choose, then watch the AI Max search terms view weekly through the first month.
That’s the work our Google Ads specialists are doing across client accounts right now. If you’d rather not do it yourself, our Google Ads management covers exactly this kind of platform change, and it sits inside a broader search marketing strategy rather than being managed in isolation. More about how we work on the DMKT Performance home page.
Sources
- Upgrading to AI Max — Google Ads & Commerce Blog (includes the June 2026 DSA timeline extension)
- Campaign-level broad match — Google Ads Help
- Automatically created assets / text customization — Google Ads Help
- About AI Max for Search campaigns — Google Ads Help
- Set up AI Max for Search campaigns — Google Ads Help (opt-out path)
- AI Max FAQ — Google Ads Help
- AI Max reporting — Google Ads Help
- AI Max performance data — Google Ads Help
- Changes to target-based bid strategies — Google Ads Help
- Target-based bidding change FAQ — Google Ads Help
- Introducing AI Max for Search campaigns — Google Ads & Commerce Blog, 6 May 2025
- Google emails advertisers about the 1 September upgrade — Search Engine Roundtable (trade press, sole source for the specific date)
Want to know if your campaigns are in scope?
We’ll audit your account, tell you which campaigns the September upgrade will touch and which legacy setting triggers each one, and give you a plan for upgrading on your terms instead of Google’s timetable.
Get in touch and we’ll check your Google Ads account before September.
