Google began automatically migrating eligible Search campaigns to AI Max on September 1, and the sweep runs through September 30. Campaigns using Automatically Created Assets and campaign-level broad match are the first cohort, and the migration itself has no opt-out. Advertisers can only toggle individual features once they’ve been moved.
On August 3, Google shut off new legacy campaign creation across the Ads UI, Editor, and API. Brandon Ervin, director of product management for Google Ads, framed the timeline through the company’s official Ads blog, noting that hundreds of thousands of global advertisers were already running AI Max before it left beta. Google cites an average 7% lift in conversions or conversion value at similar CPA or ROAS when the full feature set is on, compared with search term matching alone.
The mechanics matter. For ACA campaigns, search term matching and text customization switch on by default; for campaign-level broad match, search term matching turns on. Text customization and final URL expansion are campaign-level toggles. An opt-out done only at the ad-group level leaves the campaign switch running, per Improvado’s read of Google’s setup pages. Campaign IDs and names carry through because AI Max is a setting, not a new campaign type.
Final URL expansion is the sharpest edge: the URL Google actually serves can differ from the one configured on the ad. A new expanded_final_url field in expanded_landing_page_view and a segments.search_term_match_source segment (with ADVERTISER_PROVIDED_KEYWORD, AI_MAX_BROAD_MATCH, AI_MAX_KEYWORDLESS buckets) expose what’s happening.
Dynamic Search Ads were originally in this wave. On June 11, Google pushed DSA migration to February 2027 after advertiser feedback, with in-account notices in September, reminders on January 15, 2027, and automatic migration February 1–28, 2027. Microsoft Advertising made its own AI Max release generally available to all Search campaigns last week, on an opt-in basis. Google chose the forced version.