Your Search Campaigns Are Being Upgraded to AI Max on September 1. Are You Ready?

Google sent notification emails on August 5 warning that Search campaigns using automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match will be auto-upgraded to AI Max on September 1. No opt-out. Here is what that actually means and what to do about it before the deadline hits.

If you manage Google Ads Search campaigns, you likely received an email in early August. Google is giving affected advertisers roughly four weeks to either manually opt in and configure AI Max themselves, or watch their campaigns get upgraded automatically on September 1, 2026, with settings Google chooses on their behalf.

The announcement was first reported by Search Engine Land on August 6 and covers two specific campaign conditions: campaigns that have Automatically Created Assets (ACA) enabled, and campaigns running with campaign-level broad match. Both signals indicate to Google that the advertiser is already partially using its automation, so they become the first wave of forced upgrades.

AI Max for Search is not new. Google has been rolling it out since earlier in 2026 as the successor framework to Dynamic Search Ads and the next evolution of broad match plus smart bidding. But this September 1 deadline is the first time Google has set a hard date for involuntary upgrades on a specific campaign type.

What Is Being Auto-Upgraded?

The September 1 upgrade applies to two campaign configurations.

First, any Search campaign with Automatically Created Assets (ACA) switched on. ACA lets Google generate responsive search ad headlines and descriptions by pulling from your landing page and existing assets. If this setting is active in a campaign, Google considers that campaign eligible for the full AI Max framework, which goes further and also controls query matching, URL expansion, and ad copy generation in a more integrated way.

Second, any Search campaign using the campaign-level broad match setting rather than keyword-level match types. Campaign-level broad match was introduced as a simplified way to run broad across all keywords in a campaign at once. If you set this at the campaign level rather than the keyword level, Google flags that campaign for upgrade.

Dynamic Search Ads campaigns are on a separate timeline. Those are being migrated to AI Max by February 2027, though some have already moved. The September 1 deadline is specifically about standard Search campaigns meeting either of the above two conditions.

Why Google Is Doing This Now

The short answer is that AI Max is performing well in Google’s internal data, and Google wants more campaigns running on it. Google has stated that AI Max for Search generates an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS compared to search term matching alone.

The longer answer is that campaigns already using ACA and campaign-level broad match have already conceded some control to Google’s automation. From Google’s perspective, these advertisers have signaled they are comfortable with AI-assisted asset creation and expanded matching, so upgrading them to AI Max is a natural next step rather than a dramatic change.

What makes this different from previous rollouts is the forced element. Earlier AI Max adoption was voluntary. Advertisers who wanted to test it could do so, and those who preferred to stay on standard Search campaigns could. September 1 removes that choice for the affected campaign types.

What Changes on September 1

When Google upgrades a campaign to AI Max, three things change in how the campaign operates.

Search term matching expands. AI Max uses Google’s AI to match your ads to queries that your original keyword list would not have caught, beyond what even broad match already does. It considers the full context of the query, the user’s location, browsing context, and landing page content, not just keyword-to-query similarity.

URL expansion becomes active. Rather than sending all traffic to the URL you specified in the ad or the campaign settings, AI Max can send users to the most relevant page on your site for a given query, as determined by Google’s crawling and understanding of your site structure. This is similar to what Dynamic Search Ads did, but integrated into a standard Search campaign framework.

Text customization applies. AI Max can modify your ad headlines and descriptions at the time of the auction to better match the user’s query and context, using your existing assets as raw material. The degree of customization depends on what assets you have provided and how much latitude you have granted.

Crucially, if Google does the upgrade on your behalf on September 1, the settings it applies will be based on your existing campaign configuration. Campaigns with ACA on will have text customization enabled by default. If you want more specific control over how these features are configured, doing it yourself before the deadline is the only way to get it.

What to Do Before the Deadline

Identify Your Affected Campaigns

In Google Ads, go to Settings at the campaign level and check for two things: whether Automatically Created Assets is toggled on, and whether the match type is set to campaign-level broad match. Both conditions are at the campaign level, not the ad group or keyword level. A campaign can be in scope for just one or both conditions.

Decide: Manual Upgrade or Auto-Upgrade

The key decision is whether to let Google do this for you or to configure it yourself. Manual upgrade gives you the ability to set which AI Max features are active, what degree of URL expansion is allowed, what asset constraints you want to apply, and what exclusions are in place before the campaign starts running under the new framework. Auto-upgrade applies settings based on your existing state, which may or may not match your intended configuration.

For campaigns driving significant spend or that are already hitting tight CPA or ROAS targets, manual setup is worth the time. For smaller or experimental campaigns, auto-upgrade may be acceptable provided you monitor the first two weeks of the learning period closely.

Feed AI Max Clean Conversion Data

AI Max optimizes against your conversion data. If your conversion tracking relies entirely on browser-based tags, you are likely missing 30% to 60% of actual conversions due to cookie restrictions, ad blockers, and iOS privacy changes. Before September 1, set up enhanced conversions or server-side conversion tracking if you have not already. Upgrading to AI Max with incomplete conversion data gives the system a distorted picture of what actually performs.

Set Up URL Exclusions and Asset Pinning

AI Max’s URL expansion can send traffic to pages you would not normally want in the campaign scope, including pages under construction, terms pages, or sections of the site targeting a different audience. Before the upgrade, define your URL exclusions explicitly. Similarly, if there are specific headlines or descriptions you do not want AI Max to modify or drop, pin them in your responsive search ads before the upgrade runs.

Prepare for a Learning Period

After the upgrade, AI Max requires roughly two weeks to complete its learning phase. During this period, CPA and ROAS will fluctuate. Do not make significant bid changes or campaign edits during the first two weeks after upgrade. Wait at least four weeks from upgrade date before drawing conclusions about whether performance has improved or declined versus the previous setup.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Doing Nothing and Hoping for the Best

If you do nothing before September 1, Google upgrades your campaign with its best guess at the right settings. For some campaigns that will be fine. For campaigns where URL expansion, text customization, or query matching need specific constraints, you will spend weeks trying to dial back settings you did not choose. The proactive path is easier than the reactive one.

Turning Off ACA Just to Avoid the Upgrade

You can avoid the auto-upgrade on the ACA condition by turning off Automatically Created Assets before September 1. That is a legitimate choice, but consider whether ACA was actually helping your campaign’s performance before removing it. If your responsive search ad strength scores were benefiting from it, the trade-off is real.

Comparing Week-Over-Week Performance Immediately After Upgrade

The learning period means early data is unreliable. Looking at week-1 post-upgrade CPA versus the week before upgrade will generate false conclusions in either direction. Wait four weeks minimum, then compare against a full four-week baseline from the period immediately preceding the upgrade.

Skipping the Conversion Data Audit

AI Max is a more data-hungry framework than standard Search with manual bidding. If your conversion setup has gaps, those gaps become more consequential. The week before the September 1 deadline is the right time to run a conversion data quality check, not the week after.

What This Means Going Forward

The September 1 auto-upgrade is a clear statement from Google about where Search advertising is going. The long-term direction is fewer manually specified campaign settings and more AI-driven optimization across matching, creative, and URL targeting, all managed through a unified framework that treats keyword lists, ad copy, and landing pages as inputs rather than controls.

For advertisers who have been managing Google Ads with tightly controlled keyword lists, specific match types, and manually crafted ads, this requires a shift in thinking. The lever you are pulling is no longer “this keyword to this ad to this URL.” It is “this goal, this budget, this conversion data, and these asset constraints, let the system figure out the rest.”

That shift delivers better results when conversion data is strong, when assets are diverse, and when the goal is clearly defined. It delivers worse results when conversion tracking is incomplete, when the site has structural problems AI Max’s URL expansion will surface, or when creative quality has not kept pace with what the system needs to generate effective variations.

At Incisive Growth, we have been managing AI Max campaigns since their initial rollout and are already working through September 1 preparation with clients across several verticals. If you run Google Ads Search campaigns with ACA or campaign-level broad match and have not yet assessed which campaigns are in scope, start there. The deadline is closer than it looks.

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