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Google's AI Max upgrade: what changed in your Search campaigns and what to check

By , marketing strategist3 min read

The short answer

In 2026 Google began moving Search campaigns to AI Max, starting with campaigns that used campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets. AI Max lets Google show your ads on searches beyond your keywords and adjust your ad text and landing pages. It can find extra customers, but it can also spend on searches you'd never have chosen. If you run Google Ads, check your search terms report, your landing page and brand settings, and your conversion tracking now.

What AI Max is

AI Max is a set of AI features for Google Search campaigns. Google describes two main parts:

It also comes with controls: brand settings to include or exclude specific brands, locations of interest, and reports showing which headline and landing page each search led to.

What the upgrade changed

Google announced that older Search features would be folded into AI Max, and from September 2026 it began upgrading eligible campaigns automatically. Campaigns using campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets were moved first, with AI Max settings chosen to match what they had before. Dynamic Search Ads are being folded into AI Max as well, on a later timeline.

What to check now

  1. Your search terms report. Look at the searches you paid for over the last few weeks. Add negative keywords for anything irrelevant, and decide whether your own brand name should be in there.
  2. Search term matching, ad group by ad group. If an ad group must stay tightly focused, such as one specific product or a regulated service, you can switch matching off for it.
  3. Where people are being sent. Check which landing pages Google has been choosing. Exclude pages that shouldn't receive ad traffic, like your blog, careers page or terms.
  4. The text Google writes. Read the generated headlines. Remove anything inaccurate, off-brand or making a claim you can't back up.
  5. Brand settings. Decide deliberately whether your ads should appear on searches for competitor brands.
  6. Conversion tracking. AI Max steers towards whatever you count as a conversion. If tracking counts the wrong thing, such as page views instead of enquiries, it will happily find more of the wrong thing.
  7. Budget. Google notes AI Max isn't effective when a campaign is limited by budget, so check that before judging it.

Should you keep it on?

Google's own figures say that, on average, advertisers using the full set of AI Max features get more conversions at a similar cost. Averages hide a lot, though. My approach: keep it on where tracking is solid and the search terms look relevant, and narrow it where it's wandering. Judge it on what each real customer costs over a few weeks, not on clicks.

If you're not sure what changed in your account, a marketing audit starts exactly there.

Common questions

Was my campaign upgraded to AI Max automatically?
Possibly, especially if it used campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets. Open the campaign settings in Google Ads and look for the AI Max section.
Can I turn AI Max off?
You can control its features. Search term matching can be switched off per ad group, and the text and landing page settings can be adjusted. Google's help pages list the options available in your account.
Does AI Max work for local services?
It can, but watch your search terms closely. Matching beyond your keywords can bring in searches from the wrong area or for services you don't offer, so use your location settings and negative keywords.
Is AI Max the same as Performance Max?
No. AI Max adds AI features to a Search campaign. Performance Max is a separate campaign type that runs across Google's channels, including YouTube, Display and Gmail.

Sources

Platform rules change often. These are the official pages behind this guide, checked on 15 October 2026.

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