Yes. Between September 1 and 30, 2026, Google is automatically upgrading every Search campaign that uses campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets to AI Max for Search, per the Google notice reported by Search Engine Roundtable on August 7, 2026. Your keywords stay, but matching and ad-copy defaults change this month, so check the new settings before Q4.
What exactly is Google changing in my Search campaigns this month?
Google is retiring three legacy Search features and folding them into AI Max for Search: campaign-level broad match, automatically created assets (ACA) and Dynamic Search Ads (DSA).
Google’s timeline, as reported by Search Engine Land on August 14, 2026, runs in phases. On August 3, 2026 Google stopped letting anyone create new campaign-level broad match settings or standalone automatically created assets in the interface, Google Ads Editor or the API. From September 1 to 30, 2026, campaigns still using those features are migrated "in-place to equivalent AI Max settings," in Google’s words. Dynamic Search Ads get a longer runway: reminder notices in January 2027, then automatic migration in February 2027, when new DSA ad groups can no longer be created.
This is not a single-day switch. PPC Land reported on August 12, 2026 that the September migration is progressive across the month, so two similar accounts can be upgraded weeks apart. If your campaigns look untouched today, that does not mean they are exempt.
Will my campaign settings actually change, or is this just a rename?
Settings change. AI Max for Search bundles three features, and the migration switches some of them on by default depending on what your campaign used before.
The three AI Max features are search term matching (Google’s AI matches your ad to queries beyond your keyword list, using your keywords and landing pages as signals), text customization (Google generates headlines and descriptions from your landing page and existing ads) and final URL expansion (Google may send clicks to a different page on your site than the one you specified). According to the migration mapping PPC Land published on August 12, 2026, the defaults applied in September look like this:
| Your legacy setup | Search term matching | Text customization | Final URL expansion | Brand lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign-level broad match | On by default | Off | Off | Existing brand inclusion/exclusion lists preserved |
| Automatically created assets (ACA) | On by default | On by default | Off | Preserved |
| Dynamic Search Ads | Not migrated until February 2027 | Not migrated until February 2027 | Not migrated until February 2027 | Unchanged for now |
In practice: a plumber who used campaign-level broad match keeps the same reach under the "search term matching" label with ad copy untouched, while an optical store that used automatically created assets now has Google writing headlines under "text customization."
Will this raise my cost per lead?
Google says no on average, but the honest answer is that it depends on how tightly you were controlling the old campaign, and you should measure it yourself.
Google’s case for the upgrade, in its April 15, 2026 announcement on The Keyword (updated June 11, 2026), is that AI Max for Search campaigns "see an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS when using the full feature suite" compared with using search term matching alone. That statistic is Google’s, it is an average across "hundreds of thousands of global advertisers," and it applies to advertisers using all three features, not the partial defaults the September migration switches on.
Two things can push cost per lead the wrong way for a small account. Search term matching pulls in queries your keyword list never covered, which is fine only if your conversion tracking is clean. And if text customization is on, Google can write a headline that promises something you do not offer. Both are reasons to look at the account this week rather than in November.
You can measure it: PPC Land noted on August 12, 2026 that two new campaign fields, campaign.aca_migration_date_time and campaign.broad_match_migration_date_time, record exactly when each campaign was migrated, so you or your agency can compare the 30 days before and after without guessing.
What is the second September change to my language settings?
Separately, Google is removing campaign-level language targeting from Search, AI Max for Search and the Search portion of Performance Max in late September 2026.
The Google Ads Developer Blog announced on August 13, 2026 that "Search ads will automatically match based on the language of your ads," and that existing language criteria on Search campaigns will stop functioning. For Performance Max, the change applies only to the Google Search channel; YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail placements keep working with your language setting as before.
For a business running only English ads this is invisible. For anyone running English and French campaigns, or a Punjabi, Mandarin or Portuguese campaign aimed at a specific community, Google’s guidance is blunt: make sure "your ad creatives and landing pages are clearly structured in the intended languages," because that is now the only language signal Google uses.
Can I opt out of the AI Max upgrade?
No. Neither Google’s notice nor the reporting from Search Engine Land, Search Engine Roundtable or PPC Land describes an opt-out for the September migration, and new campaign-level broad match settings have been blocked since August 3, 2026.
What you can control is the AI Max settings after the upgrade: search term matching, text customization and final URL expansion are individual campaign-level toggles, brand exclusion lists still apply, and URL exclusions stop final URL expansion sending clicks to your careers page. We walk through those controls in our guide to AI Max for Search.
What to do this week
- Open each Search campaign and check whether it used campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets. Those campaigns are the ones being migrated in September. Note today’s cost per lead and conversion rate so you have a before figure.
- For any campaign that had automatically created assets, decide whether you want text customization on. If your industry has claims you cannot make (mortgage rates, medical outcomes, "lowest price"), consider turning it off or at least reviewing the generated assets weekly.
- Confirm final URL expansion stays off unless you have deliberately tested it, and add URL exclusions for pages that should never receive paid traffic.
- If you run ads in more than one language, check that every ad group’s ad copy and landing page are in the same language before late September, because campaign-level language targeting on Search stops working then.
Frequently asked questions
When will my Google Ads campaign be upgraded to AI Max?
If your Search campaign uses campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets, Google says it will be upgraded at some point between September 1 and September 30, 2026, according to the notice reported by Search Engine Roundtable on August 7, 2026. The migration is progressive, not a single day. Dynamic Search Ads are on a separate schedule and will be migrated automatically in February 2027, per Search Engine Land’s August 14, 2026 report of Google’s timeline.
Does the AI Max upgrade change my keywords or ad copy?
Your keywords and your written ads stay in place. What changes is the layer on top. Search term matching is switched on for all migrated campaigns, which lets Google match your ads to queries beyond your keyword list. Text customization, which lets Google generate headlines and descriptions, is switched on only for campaigns that previously used automatically created assets, according to PPC Land’s August 12, 2026 breakdown. Final URL expansion is left off in both cases.
Will removing language targeting affect my Performance Max campaign?
Only partially. The Google Ads Developer Blog said on August 13, 2026 that campaign-level language targeting will no longer apply to the Google Search channel inside Performance Max from late September 2026, while YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail placements continue to respect your language setting. If you run Performance Max in French or another language, the Search portion will now rely on the language of your ad assets and landing pages, so keep them consistent.
Is AI Max for Search better than a standard keyword campaign for a small business?
It can be, but the evidence is Google’s own. Google reported on The Keyword, updated June 11, 2026, an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at similar CPA or ROAS for advertisers using all three AI Max features versus search term matching alone. That is an average across a very large advertiser base, not a guarantee for a $2,000-a-month local account. Keep conversion tracking clean and judge it on your own before-and-after numbers.
Not sure which of your campaigns are being migrated, or whether your conversion tracking is clean enough to judge the result? Our ex-Googler founder and team will audit your Google Ads account within 48 hours, free. Book your free 48-hour audit here.
Sources: Search Engine Roundtable, August 7, 2026; Search Engine Land, August 14, 2026; PPC Land, August 12, 2026; Google, The Keyword, April 15, 2026 (updated June 11, 2026); Google Ads Developer Blog, August 13, 2026.