Google Auto-Migrated Your Search Campaigns to AI Max. Here’s What to Do (Sept 2026)

Google is force-upgrading broad match and ACA Search campaigns to AI Max through September 30, with no opt-out. What changed, what to check, and where to claw back control.

What actually happened on September 1

Between September 1 and 30, 2026, Google is automatically upgrading every eligible Search campaign to AI Max for Search. Eligible means the campaign still uses the campaign-level broad match setting or legacy Automatically Created Assets (ACA). The migration happens in place, campaign by campaign, so your campaign IDs, bids, budgets, and ad copy survive, but the underlying matching and asset logic changes. There is no opt-out once the window is under way; the choice you had was to migrate on your own terms before September 1.

This did not come out of nowhere. On August 3, Google blocked the creation of new campaign-level broad match and ACA configurations across the Ads UI, Ads Editor, and API. Dynamic Search Ads were originally due in the same window but were pushed to February 2027, with in-account reminders starting this month and a formal notification on January 15, 2027.

What AI Max changes under the hood

• Search term matching replaces campaign-level broad match. Broad match settings are removed and replaced by AI Max’s search-term matching, which expands to queries Google predicts are relevant.
• ACA becomes text customization. Legacy automatically created assets are mapped into AI Max’s text customization mode, which can rewrite headlines and descriptions from your landing page and existing ads.
• Brand controls carry over. Existing brand inclusions and exclusions migrate automatically, which matters because they are your main lever over where AI Max expands.
• Reporting shifts. Some fields change and the landing-page join in third-party reporting can break, so dashboards built on legacy fields need a check.

What to check this week

Do not assume the migration was neutral for your account. Log in and audit:

• Which campaigns show a migration notice, and what settings AI Max was mapped to for each.
• Your brand exclusions: with search-term matching on, they are the guardrail against irrelevant expansion. Tighten them if they were thin.
• The Search Terms report over the last two weeks versus the two before. Look for new query themes you did not choose, and add negatives fast.
• Text customization output: pull the asset report and read what AI Max is actually writing. Turn it off at the ad-group level for any campaign where accuracy matters (regulated claims, pricing, legal language).
• Landing-page reporting in any external dashboard, since the join can break after migration.

Should you keep AI Max on, or claw back control?

Google cites a conversion lift from the full AI Max feature suite, and for many accounts with good conversion tracking it does perform. But it performs because of the data feeding it. Accounts with thin conversion tracking, loose negatives, or sensitive messaging are exactly the ones that get burned by automated expansion. The honest rule: keep AI Max where your tracking is clean and your negatives are strong; disable text customization and tighten brand controls where you cannot afford a wrong word or a wrong query.

This is part of a bigger pattern this month, where Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon all automated away advertiser controls at once. If your account leaked spend before this, it will leak more now, so run a negative keyword audit and check your numbers with our ROAS calculator. Our performance ads team has been auditing migrated accounts all month.

Frequently asked questions

Can I opt out of the Google AI Max migration?

No. Once the September 1–30 window began, eligible campaigns using campaign-level broad match or ACA are migrated automatically with no rollback. You can still adjust AI Max settings after migration, including turning text customization off at the ad-group level.

Are Dynamic Search Ads affected in September 2026?

Not yet. Google delayed the DSA migration to February 1–28, 2027. In-account notices encouraging voluntary DSA upgrades started in September 2026, with a reminder on January 15, 2027.

Will my campaign IDs and history change?

No. AI Max is a setting on an existing Search campaign, not a new campaign type, so campaign IDs, bids, budgets, and ad copy carry over. Some reporting fields change, so check external dashboards.

Is AI Max better than my old broad match setup?

It depends on your data. With clean conversion tracking and strong negatives, AI Max often performs well. With thin tracking or sensitive messaging, its automated expansion and text rewriting can waste spend, so tighten brand controls and review search terms closely.