WHAT HAPPENED?
Starting in September 2026, Google is automatically upgrading eligible Search campaigns using Automatically Created Assets, now called text customization, or the campaign-level broad match setting into AI Max.
WHAT GETS MIGRATED
Campaigns using Automatically Created Assets move into AI Max with search term matching + text customization enabled.
Campaigns using the campaign-level broad match setting move with search term matching enabled.
DSA migrations are now scheduled to begin in February 2027, not September 2026.
Google says migrated settings are designed to mirror the campaign’s legacy setup.
WHAT GOOGLE ACTUALLY CHANGED
The full AI Max suite can use search term matching, text customization and Final URL Expansion. Search term matching expands beyond existing keywords using broad match and keywordless technology. Text customization can create additional headlines and descriptions. Final URL Expansion can choose another relevant page on the advertiser’s domain when Google predicts it is a better destination. Google Help
But an automatic September migration does not mean Final URL Expansion is automatically enabled for every campaign.
This still does not mean Google has suddenly switched every Search campaign into full automation. It does mean AI Max is becoming the place where more of Google Search’s existing automation lives.
The name change matters less than knowing exactly which controls are on.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR ADVERTISERS
The important shift is simple:
AI Max is moving from something advertisers actively test toward something more existing Search campaigns will encounter by default.
That changes the operational question.
Advertisers should no longer look at AI Max as one big ON/OFF switch.
Search term matching, text customization and Final URL Expansion affect different parts of the campaign.
Matching influences which searches you can enter.
Text customization influences what the user sees.
Final URL Expansion can influence where the user lands. Google Help
Those are three very different kinds of authority.
Google also provides reporting for customized text assets, including an “Added by: Google AI” designation, and advertisers can review asset and combination reporting to see what has actually served. Google Help
So after a migration, the wrong question is:
“Did Google turn on AI Max?”
The better question is:
“Which AI Max capabilities are actually active in this campaign?”
AI Max itself isn't the risk. Unexamined AI Max settings are.
As Google consolidates more Search automation under one system, media buyers need to get more granular about what the machine is allowed to expand: the query, the message, the destination — or all three.
Here’s an Explainer!
Imagine an advertiser already running a profitable Search campaign.
It previously used Automatically Created Assets, so Google could generate additional headlines and descriptions.
September arrives.
That campaign is moved into AI Max with search term matching and text customization enabled as part of the migration. Final URL Expansion is not automatically added simply because of that ACA migration. blog.google
Now imagine the advertiser later decides to test the broader AI Max feature set, including Final URL Expansion.
Google can potentially find additional relevant searches, customize the message and choose a different relevant page from the advertiser’s website. Google Help
Suppose, purely hypothetically - CPA moves from $55.44 to $51.48.
Good result?
Maybe.
WHAT ADVERTISERS SHOULD DO
First, audit campaigns that previously used Automatically Created Assets or campaign-level broad match. Check which campaigns have migrated and record exactly which AI Max settings are active. Do not assume that “AI Max enabled” means every feature is running.
Second, separate the three decisions. Decide independently whether you are comfortable giving Google more freedom over search matching, generated text and landing-page selection. Final URL Expansion deserves particular attention for businesses with regulated copy, unusual site structures or landing pages built for different audiences.
Third, build a before-and-after reporting baseline. Save current search-term, asset, landing-page and conversion-quality benchmarks. Google provides reporting for customized text assets, so use it rather than evaluating AI Max only at campaign level. Google Help
Google also offers AI Max experiments that can split traffic within an existing campaign between control and treatment, allowing advertisers to test AI Max before applying it fully.
ORBIT. TODAY’s TAKE
Google isn't simply adding another AI feature to Search.
It is consolidating more of Search's automation inside AI Max.
That makes the advertiser’s job less about deciding whether to “use AI” and more about deciding which decisions Google gets to make.
Search query? Probably worth testing.
Ad copy? Depends on the brand.
Landing page? Depends on the site.
The useful question isn't “AI Max: on or off?” It’s “AI Max: allowed to do what?”
