The Short Answer
Google began automatically upgrading Google Ads campaigns using Automatically Created Assets (ACA) or campaign-level broad match settings to AI Max for Search on September 1, 2026, with completion targeted by the end of the month. But Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) campaigns, which most advertisers assumed would migrate at the same time, were NOT part of this September change. Google postponed the DSA automigration to February 2027 after advertiser pushback about Q4 planning risk. Understanding what is happening now versus what was deferred is critical, because the two timelines affect different campaigns and require different preparation.
What AI Max for Search Actually Is
AI Max for Search is Google's next-generation search campaign feature set. It replaces legacy search ad features with three AI-powered capabilities that work together but can each be controlled independently:
| AI Max Feature | What It Does | Control Level |
|---|---|---|
| Search term matching | Uses broad match and keywordless technology to find relevant queries beyond your keyword list | Ad group (on/off toggle) |
| Text customization | Generates ad copy by combining your existing text, landing page content, and assets with generative AI | Campaign level |
| Final URL expansion | Automatically routes traffic to the page on your domain predicted to perform best for a given query | Campaign level (requires text customization enabled) |
According to Google's own data, AI Max for Search campaigns using all three features together see an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS compared to using search term matching alone. This figure applies specifically to non-retail advertisers, so retail businesses should treat it as a directional signal rather than a guaranteed lift.
What Actually Changed on September 1, 2026
Two specific legacy setups were automatically upgraded:
- Campaigns using Automatically Created Assets (ACA). Google migrated these into standard ad groups with all three AI Max features enabled.
- Campaigns using campaign-level broad match settings. These were similarly upgraded to AI Max with all features active.
During the transition, existing ads continued running while new AI Max-generated Responsive Search Ads were created and went through Google's policy review process. Google's stated goal was no gap in traffic during the switch.
Legacy URL controls were preserved during migration. However, and this is the part most advertisers miss, the migration does not add controls that were missing. If your account never had brand exclusions configured, if URL exclusions were outdated, or if locations of interest was never set up, those gaps carry forward into AI Max untouched.
What Got Postponed: The DSA Timeline
The DSA migration is on a separate, later timeline. Here is the full timeline from Google's Ads Developer Blog:
| Date | What Happens |
|---|---|
| April 15, 2026 | Original AI Max transition plan announced |
| June 11, 2026 | DSA automigration delayed to February 2027; DSA campaign creation restored June 15, 2026 |
| June 2026 to January 2027 | Extended window to voluntarily test and migrate DSA to AI Max |
| September 1, 2026 | Auto-upgrade begins for ACA and campaign-level broad match campaigns only |
| January 2027 | Creating new DSA campaigns is no longer possible |
| February 2027 | Automatic migration begins for remaining DSA campaigns |
The key insight: if your campaigns use plain DSA with no ACA or campaign-level broad match enabled, nothing forced a change on September 1. You have until February 2027, and you can still create new DSA campaigns until January 2027.
The Critical Gap Most Advertisers Are Missing
The auto-upgrade migrates your existing settings. It does not audit or fix them. This is the most overlooked risk in the entire AI Max migration.
For businesses running Google Ads, the common failure modes are:
- Missing brand exclusions: Without brand exclusions at the campaign level, AI Max's search term matching can pull in unwanted brand or competitor queries, spending your budget on irrelevant clicks.
- Outdated URL exclusions: Final URL expansion will route traffic to whatever pages it predicts will perform best. If you have discontinued products, out-of-stock collections, or outdated landing pages, AI Max can send traffic to those pages unless you explicitly exclude them.
- No performance baseline: Without benchmarking current conversions, CPA, and ROAS before the upgrade, you cannot measure whether AI Max actually improved things or made them worse.
A Practical Pre-Migration Checklist
Before the auto-upgrade reaches your account (or immediately after, if it already did), run through these steps:
Step 1: Identify Affected Campaigns
Check whether any active campaigns use ACA or campaign-level broad match. These are the ones that were auto-upgraded on September 1. The Google Ads API query to find DSA campaigns is documented in Google's developer blog, but for ACA and broad match, check your campaign settings in the Google Ads UI.
Step 2: Configure Brand Exclusions
Add brand exclusions at the campaign level. This prevents search term matching from bidding on your brand name or competitor brands, which is a common source of wasted spend in AI Max.
Step 3: Set URL Exclusions
Review your site and exclude any discontinued products, out-of-stock collections, or pages you do not want final URL expansion routing traffic to. This is especially important for e-commerce sites with seasonal or rotating inventory.
Step 4: Benchmark Current Performance
Record your current conversions, CPA, ROAS, impression share, and click-through rate for affected campaigns. You need a clean before-and-after comparison once AI Max is active.
Step 5: Decide on DSA Separately
If you have DSA campaigns, you are not forced to act. But voluntarily migrating during the extended window (now through January 2027) lets you test AI Max with lower risk than waiting for the February 2027 forced migration.
Can You Opt Out?
Google has not published an opt-out mechanism for the ACA and campaign-level broad match upgrade. It applies automatically to eligible campaigns. DSA campaigns, however, can still be voluntarily migrated on your own schedule before the February 2027 deadline.
What This Means for SMBs
For small and mid-sized businesses, the AI Max migration is not a crisis, but it is a forcing function. Google is making a decision for you: your campaigns will use AI-powered features whether you configured them intentionally or not. The question is whether you set the guardrails before or after the migration.
The businesses that will suffer are the ones that did not know the migration happened, discover budget spent on irrelevant queries or dead landing pages, and have no performance baseline to measure whether AI Max helped or hurt.
The businesses that will benefit are the ones that treated the September 2026 auto-upgrade as a scheduled event: audit, configure controls, benchmark, and monitor.
Conclusion
The Google Ads AI Max migration is not one event but two. The September 2026 auto-upgrade affects campaigns using Automatically Created Assets and campaign-level broad match. The DSA migration was postponed to February 2027. The most important thing advertisers can do right now is not wait: audit affected campaigns, configure brand and URL exclusions, benchmark performance, and treat the migration as an opportunity to clean up account hygiene that may have been neglected for years. The migration does not fix your gaps. It makes them more expensive.
Want help auditing your Google Ads account for the AI Max migration? Contact Vivid for a review.
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