AI Max for Google Ads: what it is, how it works and why it will change your campaigns

From September 2026, anyone running Search campaigns with automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match will find them converted to AI Max, and from February 2027 Dynamic Search Ads will follow (Google moved the date in June, after requests from advertisers). This is not a cosmetic rebrand. It marks the end of a way of setting up Search campaigns that had been around for years, and the start of another one that is worth understanding before it turns up in your account on its own.

AI Max for Google Ads came out of beta in April 2026, after a year and a half of testing. Google says campaigns using it with the full suite of features get, on average, 7% more conversions or conversion value at the same CPA or ROAS, compared with those relying on search term matching alone. The figure comes from Google’s own internal analysis on a global scale, so treat it as an indication of the trend rather than a guaranteed promise for every account. But the direction is clear, and it has been the same for a while: more and more automation inside Search campaigns, with fewer manual levers to pull.

In this guide we look at what AI Max for Google Ads really is, how it works in detail, what sets it apart from Performance Max and how to switch it on without losing the control you had with traditional keywords. Of all the Google Ads changes in 2026, it is probably the one with the most direct impact on people who manage campaigns every day.

What AI Max for Google Ads is

AI Max is a layer of artificial intelligence that sits on top of traditional Search campaigns. It doesn’t replace your campaigns, keywords or ad groups: it works alongside them. You keep the structure you know, but Google adds three automatic capabilities on top of it: expanding queries beyond your keyword list, generating creative variants from your existing ads, and routing each individual search more precisely to the most relevant landing page.

It is Google’s most determined attempt to bring into Search campaigns the automation logic that until now belonged to Performance Max, without taking away your control at keyword level. For anyone who has spent years building segmented keyword lists, it is no small paradigm shift.

The name has a deliberate double meaning: maximising performance, and pushing artificial intelligence (AI) as far as it can go within a format advertisers already know.

How it works: search term matching and asset optimisation

AI Max for Google Ads rests on two main features, which can be switched on together or separately at ad group or campaign level.

Search term matching

When you switch on AI Max, search term matching starts automatically (you can turn it off for individual ad groups in the settings). The system expands your existing keywords using broad match and a technology that doesn’t need predefined keywords, learning from your ads, your creatives and the URLs you already use. The aim is to capture relevant queries you would simply never have seen with a traditional keyword list, and therefore conversions that have been slipping through your fingers.

Unlike plain broad match, you get new controls here: “locations of interest” let you reach users based on geographical intent even in keywordless matches, and brand controls (at campaign and ad group level) let you choose which brands you want your ads associated with, or exclude others.

Asset optimisation

The second pillar of AI Max is a panel of campaign-level settings with two elements: text customisation (the evolution of what used to be called automatically created assets) and final URL expansion. The first generates tailored ad copy by combining your existing text, the content of the landing page and generative AI. The second sends traffic to the page on your domain that the system predicts will perform best for that specific query, while staying thematically consistent with the ad group.

The two are linked: final URL expansion requires text customisation to be switched on, precisely to make sure the ad always matches the content of the page it points to.

On the reporting side, the search terms report now shows “AI Max” as a new match type, with a column explaining whether the match came from broad match expansion or keywordless matching. The keyword, landing page and asset reports also have dedicated rows, so you can see exactly how much the automation is contributing.

Performance Max vs AI Max: the differences that matter

The Performance Max vs AI Max comparison is the one that causes the most confusion, because both promise automation and better results with less manual work. But they were built for different problems.

Performance Max is a campaign type in its own right. From a single pool of assets, it decides on its own which channels to appear on: Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Discover, Maps and Gmail. You set the goal and the system chooses where and how to reach it. It works best with a solid product catalogue, a rich library of creative assets (images, videos, copy) and a substantial conversion history.

AI Max for Google Ads, by contrast, stays within the Search channel. It doesn’t decide where to appear: it extends what you are already doing on Search. You don’t need a package of images or videos; the text ads you already have are enough. Control over the channel stays with you. What changes is how deeply the system can go in interpreting the searcher’s intent.

In practice: if you want to hand channel selection over to Google and you have the assets to do it, Performance Max is still the way to go. If you want to stay on Search without losing valuable queries because your keyword list is too rigid, AI Max is the tool designed for exactly that. Many businesses, especially B2B ones or those with long sales cycles, end up using them side by side: Performance Max for multichannel coverage, AI Max to refine what already works in paid search. That is precisely why people set up AI Max campaigns today: to get more relevant queries without giving up control over the Search channel.

Google Ads in 2026: the changes that affect every account

Google’s smart campaigns in 2025 had already introduced the foundations of this system in beta, a step that is part of the new AI features in Google Ads rolled out over recent years. In 2026 things changed on several fronts, which is why it pays to deal with it now rather than wait.

In April 2026 AI Max officially left beta, with improvements to targeting and creative quality. Two features arrived for businesses in regulated industries: text disclaimers, which guarantee that legally required wording appears even when final URL expansion is switched on (previously the two were not compatible), and the AI Brief, a summary designed to help you understand more quickly what the system is optimising.

Google has also extended AI Max to Shopping and to travel formats, taking the same automation logic beyond pure Search campaigns.

The most practical change, though, concerns timing. From September 2026, campaigns using automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting are upgraded to AI Max automatically, keeping existing settings where possible. The original plan was the same for Dynamic Search Ads, but in June Google updated its announcement: the retirement and automatic switch will start in February 2027. If you want to get there with full control, rather than having the migration happen to you, you still have a few months to upgrade voluntarily and get familiar with the new settings. To choose between AI Max, Performance Max and classic Search in a B2B account, we have written a dedicated comparison.

AI Max tutorial: how to switch it on, step by step

Before switching AI Max on for an existing campaign, it is worth following a precise order.

1. Check your tracking templates. If you use tracking templates with static URLs or non-standard lpurl tags, final URL expansion can produce 404 errors on dynamic landing pages. Make sure your URLs follow the compatible patterns ({lpurl}?, {lpurl}&, {lpurl}#) before going ahead.

2. Switch on AI Max at campaign level. In the settings of your Search campaign you will find the dedicated option: switching it on activates search term matching, text customisation and final URL expansion by default.

3. Adjust the controls at ad group level. You can selectively turn off search term matching for individual groups if you would rather stay closer to the original keywords, and set locations of interest where you need greater geographical precision.

4. Set up brand controls. Define which brands you want to be associated with and which to exclude, both at campaign and ad group level.

5. Monitor the new reports for two or three weeks. Look at the search terms report with the new “AI Max” match type and compare CPA and ROAS before and after, before extending it to the whole account.

Anyone who also manages PPC campaigns on other channels knows this kind of test should always be compared with the account’s overall performance, not looked at in isolation: an increase in Search conversions may come from AI Max, but also from seasonality or from changes made at the same time to other levers.

When to use it (and when to wait)

AI Max for Google Ads delivers most when you already have a solid conversion history for the system to learn from, and when your industry doesn’t need extremely granular control over which queries trigger your ad. If you work with very specific technical terms, or in markets where a single wrong word can generate completely off-target leads, it makes sense to switch it on gradually, one ad group at a time, keeping an eye on the extra search terms that come up.

It also makes sense to build your AI Max strategy together with your remarketing strategy: the lists you use for AI-driven automated campaigns can also be applied to search through RLSA, raising bids for people who already know you and are more likely to convert than a new visitor picked up by query expansion.

If, on the other hand, your account is young, with little conversion history, you would do better to wait a few weeks while data builds up before relying too heavily on automation, or to switch on search term matching only, leaving text customisation off for now.

The right time to move

Search volume for “AI Max Google Ads” is still low today, a sign that we are in the early adoption phase. It’s the same pattern we saw with Performance Max a few years ago: those who published useful content before the topic took off claimed the rankings when curiosity grew. The same logic applies to anyone managing their own PPC campaigns today.

If you want to understand how to set up or migrate your AI Max campaigns without losing the control you had before, book a call with our team: we’ll look at your account and tell you honestly whether it’s worth switching it on straight away or waiting.

FAQ

Does AI Max replace Performance Max? No. They are two tools with different goals: AI Max works inside Search campaigns, while Performance Max distributes ads across several channels from a single pool of assets. Many accounts use both.

Do I need images or videos to use AI Max? No. AI Max starts from your existing text ads and your landing page. It doesn’t need a library of visual assets the way Performance Max does.

What happens if I do nothing? Campaigns with automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match are converted to AI Max from September 2026; those with Dynamic Search Ads from February 2027. The settings are designed to preserve existing performance, and you can still make changes after the migration.

Are the 7% extra conversions guaranteed? No, it’s an average Google measured on internal global data for non-retail advertisers. Results for an individual account depend on the industry, the quality of the ads and the conversion history available.