Google AI Max upgrade deadlines: what changes and when

Google is moving three older Search ad features into AI Max for Search: Dynamic Search Ads (DSA), automatically created assets (ACA) and the campaign-level broad match setting Google . Automatic upgrades for ACA and broad match campaigns were set to begin in September 2026. DSA got more time, and Google moved its sunset and automatic upgrade to February 2027 Search Engine Journal .

If an agency runs your Google Ads, ask which of your campaigns now let Google’s AI pick search terms, write ad text and choose landing pages. The answer affects your costs, your ad copy and your reports.

The AI Max timeline, date by date

Google announced the change on April 15, 2026, in a post by Brandon Ervin, director of product management for Google Ads Google . The post said new DSA campaign creation will end. It said tools to upgrade DSA campaigns by hand were rolling out that week.

On June 11, Google added an update to the same post. It moved the DSA sunset and auto-upgrade to February 2027. It kept September 2026 as the start date for upgrading campaigns that use ACA or the campaign-level broad match setting Google .

Date	What Google did	Status on October 14, 2026
April 15, 2026	Announced the move of DSA, ACA and broad match into AI Max	Done
June 11, 2026	Moved the DSA sunset and auto-upgrade to February 2027	Done
September 2026	Set automatic upgrades to start for ACA and broad match campaigns	No completion notice found
February 2027	DSA sunset and automatic upgrade begin	Scheduled

We found no Google statement that confirms the September upgrades finished on schedule. Check your own account instead of assuming they did. Google’s June update did not give a separate date for the end of new DSA campaign creation.

What AI Max does inside a Search campaign

AI Max is not a new campaign type. Google’s help page calls it a suite of targeting and creative features for Search campaigns Google Ads Help . It bundles three features:

• Search term matching looks for searches beyond your keyword list. Google says it combines broad match with signals from your ads and landing pages.
• Text customization writes ad text with generative AI. It draws on your existing ads, your landing page copy and your assets.
• Final URL expansion sends traffic to the most relevant page on your site when Google expects better performance.

Google’s help page lists whether each feature is set for the whole campaign or for each ad group Google Ads Help . The upgrade turns on different features for different campaigns Google :

• DSA campaigns. DSA ad groups become standard ad groups. Google moves the settings and data across and turns on all three features. Your old URL controls stay in place.
• ACA campaigns. Search term matching and text customization come on by default.
• Broad match campaigns. Search term matching comes on by default.

Google says advertisers get a notice in the account before a transition begins Google . Its help page adds a tip for accounts that relied on the old broad match setting. To keep keyword prioritization, add copies of your exact match keywords to the new AI Max campaign Google Ads Help .

Why Google gave DSA advertisers more time

Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin announced the extension in a LinkedIn post, Search Engine Journal reported on June 12. Google said the extra time lets advertisers prepare and “avoid major account changes during the busy Q4 season” Search Engine Journal . The extra time covers DSA campaigns that have not been upgraded by hand. ACA and broad match settings stayed on the September 2026 schedule.

Google still recommends its manual upgrade tools over waiting for the automatic switch, according to Search Engine Journal. The company says a manual upgrade gives advertisers more oversight and control Search Engine Journal .

How much weight does Google’s 7% figure carry?

Not much on its own. Google says AI Max campaigns that use all three features see “an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS” Google . The comparison is against search term matching alone. The number comes from Google’s internal 2026 data for non-retail advertisers. We found no independent test of it.

Google says “hundreds of thousands” of advertisers already use AI Max. It suggests testing the impact with one-click experiments Google . An experiment shows the effect on your own account, not Google’s average. Run one on your DSA campaigns before the February 2027 switch makes the choice for you.

The help page carries a budget warning. It says AI Max “won’t be effective if campaigns are limited by budget” Google Ads Help . That line gives any agency a reason to ask for a bigger budget. Ask to see the cost per lead math before you agree.

What it means for a business that pays an agency

AI Max moves daily choices from people to Google’s systems. The AI can add new search terms, write headlines and pick the landing page. The agency’s job shifts toward setting limits and checking the results.

Google gives advertisers several limits to set Google Ads Help :

• Brand inclusions and exclusions control which brands your ads can appear alongside.
• Locations of interest reach people based on the place their search is about.
• URL inclusions and exclusions control which pages can serve as landing pages.

Google’s announcement adds text guidelines to its list of controls for steering the AI Google . The search terms report now shows the search term, the headline and the landing page together Google Ads Help . That view shows what the AI wrote and where it sent each click. Ask for it every month, and read the headlines for claims you never approved.

Two contract points matter here. The first is who approves turning a feature on or off. The second is who keeps the account and its history if you part ways. Our guide to marketing agency contracts covers both. If your agency fee is a percentage of ad spend, look closely at any budget increase tied to AI Max. More spend raises the fee before it proves more leads.

Google is not the only platform handing more control to AI. We covered Meta’s version of this shift and ChatGPT’s move into self-serve ads. If you are comparing paid search agencies, our PPC shortlist scores each one on the same public rubric.

Questions to ask your agency

1. Which of our campaigns used automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match, and have they moved into AI Max?
2. Which AI Max features are on in each campaign, and who approved each one?
3. What brand exclusions, URL exclusions and locations of interest have you set for us?
4. Can you send the search terms report with headlines and URLs every month?
5. How did cost per lead change in the 60 days after each upgrade, compared with the 60 days before?
6. Will you test our DSA campaigns with a one-click experiment before Google upgrades them in February 2027?