Google confirmed on August 5 that it will begin automatically converting Search campaigns to AI Max starting September 1, 2026. The trigger is not a manual opt-in: it is based on two settings that many accounts have had switched on for years without anyone actively managing them.
The Two Settings That Decide If You Are Affected
If a campaign has Automatically Created Assets enabled, Google converts it to AI Max with search term matching and text customization turned on by default. If a campaign uses the campaign-level broad match setting, it converts to AI Max with search term matching enabled, without automatic text customization.
Campaigns without either setting active are untouched. But both settings are the kind that get switched on once during account setup -- often years ago, sometimes by an agency that has since moved on -- and never revisited. That is the actual risk here: campaigns changing behavior on a fixed date with nobody having reviewed the decision recently.
What Actually Changes After Conversion
Search term matching lets Google decide which queries your ads are eligible for, beyond your literal keyword list. Text customization lets Google rewrite headline and description variations dynamically per query. Both trade manual precision for broader automated reach.
Google's internal 2026 data claims campaigns running the full AI Max feature set -- search term matching, text customization, and final URL expansion together -- see roughly 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS than campaigns using search term matching alone. That figure excludes retail advertisers and compares AI Max configurations against each other, not against a fully manual campaign with none of these settings enabled.
This Is Not the DSA Migration
Advertisers who remember Google delaying the Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max migration to February 2027 sometimes assume all AI Max transitions got pushed back. They did not. This September 1 change is a separate, faster-moving migration for standard Search campaigns, and it is proceeding as originally announced.
Before September 1
Check every active Search campaign for Automatically Created Assets and campaign-level broad match under campaign settings. For any campaign where either is on, decide deliberately: let it convert, or disable the setting now to opt out.
Update negative keyword lists and brand exclusions before the conversion, not after. Broader search term matching without solid negative coverage is the most common way advertisers see wasted spend spike following an AI Max upgrade. Full setup guide: https://yositeup.com/blog/ai-max-negative-keywords-brand-exclusions-2026
Full breakdown of the September 1 rollout, what changes by default, and a pre-migration checklist: https://yositeup.com/blog/google-ads-ai-max-auto-upgrade-september-2026
The Practical Bottom Line
The riskiest accounts here are not the ones actively managing AI Max already -- they are the ones where Automatically Created Assets or broad match got switched on during setup and forgotten. A ten-minute settings audit before September 1 is the difference between a planned transition and an unplanned one.
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