Google is changing your search campaigns for you: what AI Max is and how not to lose control

If you run search advertising on Google - here's important news with a deadline. Google is retiring the familiar Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) and moving them to a new AI tool, AI Max. Right now the switch is voluntary, but from September 2026 it becomes automatic, and you won't be able to create campaigns the old way. This is officially confirmed on the Google blog.

Why this matters to a business owner, not just to whoever runs the account: if you do nothing, your campaigns will be migrated "as is," without configured limits on brand, geo, and landing pages - and part of your budget may go to the wrong place. Let's cover it briefly: what it is, what Google and independent experts say, how it's useful, and what to do before September.

What's happening and the timeline

The switch happens in two stages: right now it's voluntary - prompts to upgrade appear in your account. From September 2026, automatic migration begins, and you won't be able to create a new campaign on the old DSA. Existing settings will carry over, but what carries over is what's there now, not what you could have set up deliberately. So it's better to go through this yourself and in advance.

What AI Max is, in plain words

AI Max isn't a separate campaign type but a set of AI enhancements for a regular search campaign (as Google describes it). There are three main features inside. First - smart query matching: the AI itself looks for relevant queries you've missed, without being limited to your keywords, meaning it finds new customers via searches you didn't think of. Second - text generation: the AI creates headlines and descriptions for a specific query based on your landing page and ads. Third - landing page selection: the system itself sends a person to the most suitable page on your site.

Essentially, you give the AI more freedom: whom to show, what to write, and where to send them. In return - potentially more reach and conversions.

What Google itself says

According to Google's official data, AI Max delivers on average +14% conversions (or their value) at a comparable cost per conversion, and for campaigns on exact and phrase keywords - up to +27%. From the case studies: L'Oréal saw twice the conversion rate at a cost per conversion 31% lower. In the announcement about the DSA migration, Google cites a more modest +7% with the full feature set. This is the platform's data about its own product - a benchmark, not a guarantee.

What independent experts say

Search Engine Land analyzed the results of 23 independent tests. The benefit was confirmed: AI-written copy improved returns and raised the Quality Score (on average from 6.8 to 7.3). But an important nuance surfaced - cannibalization: only about 46% of the "new" queries turned out to be genuinely new, while the other 54% were already being reached by other campaigns. So part of the "gain" is a reshuffling of your own traffic.

The second point - less control than the old DSA, especially over landing pages. Google confirmed that some capabilities are supported (URL rules and exclusions, page feeds), but not all of the previous ones, and promises to refine this during 2026. The experts' conclusion: the tool works, but it's too early to leave it on autopilot unattended.

How this is useful for business

With smart setup, the upsides are real: AI Max finds new customers via queries you wouldn't have thought of, saves time on copy, and can lift conversions. For a small business without a dedicated "keywords" specialist, this is especially handy. The key phrase is "with smart setup": without guardrails, the AI will spend part of your budget on irrelevant impressions.

What to do before September

None of this is complicated, but it's worth doing while the switch is still voluntary.

• Switch over in advance and manually, while it's still voluntary - that way you configure the campaign yourself instead of getting a "default" migration.
• Set up brand inclusions and exclusions so you aren't shown on other brands' branded queries.
• Set "locations of interest" if you work in specific cities or countries.
• Define URL rules and exclusions so the AI doesn't send people to unsuitable pages.
• For the first few weeks, check search terms and collect negative keywords - this is the main way not to waste budget.
• Check your conversion tracking before turning it on, otherwise you won't tell a real gain from cannibalization.

The key points in brief

Google is moving search from DSA to AI Max: voluntary now, automatic from September 2026. The tool itself matches queries, writes copy, and chooses pages. According to Google, this is +7-14% conversions; independent tests confirm the benefit but warn about cannibalization and less control. The takeaway for business: the tool is useful, but not "set and forget." Switch over in advance and manually, set guardrails on brand, geo, and URLs, watch your queries and conversions - and you'll get the upsides of AI without losing control of your budget.