If you are running Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) or Automatically Created Assets (ACA) in Google Ads, you have a firm deadline: September 2026. That is when Google will automatically migrate all eligible Search campaigns to AI Max, the platform’s new AI-powered campaign feature that reached general availability on April 15, 2026. For advertisers who have not started planning yet, the window is closing faster than many realize.
What Is Google AI Max for Search Campaigns?
Google AI Max for Search is a bundle of three AI-driven features designed to maximize the reach and performance of standard Search campaigns. After 11 months in open beta, Google’s Director of Product Management Brandon Ervin confirmed the feature reached general availability on April 15, 2026. AI Max brings together three core capabilities that work together inside a single campaign type.
Search term matching uses Gemini’s language understanding to match your ads against search queries that go well beyond traditional keywords — including conversational queries and entirely novel phrasing your account has never bid on before. Text customization automatically adjusts headlines and descriptions to align with each specific search query, moving away from static ad copy toward dynamically generated messaging. Final URL expansion routes users to the most relevant landing page on your site based on query context, rather than defaulting to whichever destination URL you set at the ad group level.
Together, these three features replace the core function Dynamic Search Ads performed — automatically matching and serving ads based on website content — but with a fundamentally more capable AI architecture built on Gemini rather than legacy crawl-and-match logic.
Why Is Google Retiring Dynamic Search Ads?
DSA was built when machine learning was far less capable than it is in 2026. The technology relied primarily on crawling your website and matching landing page content against search queries. While that approach was useful for a decade, it had serious structural limitations: it could not handle conversational queries well, it lacked granular URL controls, and it often misfired on catalog-heavy ecommerce sites with thousands of product pages.
AI Max addresses every one of those limitations. Gemini understands search intent at a deeper semantic level, handles queries that Google has never seen an ad serve on before, and gives advertisers a new steering mechanism called AI Brief — a plain-language input field powered by Gemini where you describe your business goals, target audience, and messaging priorities.
The expansion did not stop with Search. On April 30, 2026, Google extended AI Max to Shopping campaigns and Travel ad formats, bringing hotel ads, vacation rental listings, and travel feeds directly into standard Search campaigns for the first time. This consolidation signals that Google is moving decisively toward a unified AI-first campaign structure across all major ad verticals.
The September 2026 Migration Timeline: What Happens If You Do Nothing
Google announced a two-phase migration timeline alongside the April 15 GA launch. Understanding both phases is critical before committing to a migration strategy.
During the voluntary phase running April through August 2026, advertisers can manually migrate DSA campaigns using Google’s built-in upgrade tools. Historical settings and data port into new standard ad groups, and Google recommends running parallel AI Max test campaigns for four to six weeks before cutting over completely. This phase gives you full control over default feature selection, URL exclusions, and negative keyword structure before AI Max takes over query matching.
The automatic migration phase begins in September 2026. Starting then, Google will auto-migrate all remaining eligible campaigns — those using DSA, Automatically Created Assets, or the campaign-level broad match setting. You will no longer be able to create new DSA campaigns through Google Ads, Google Ads Editor, or the Google Ads API once the automatic upgrades begin. Google expects all eligible migrations to be completed by the end of September 2026.
The critical takeaway: you have roughly five months of voluntary runway. After September, the migration happens on Google’s terms. Historical settings do carry over, but default feature selection in an auto-migration may not reflect your strategic priorities — particularly around URL expansion and broad query matching.
Does Google AI Max Actually Perform Better Than DSA?
Google’s official claim is a 7% average increase in conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS when advertisers use the full AI Max feature suite compared to search term matching alone. That is a modest but meaningful lift if it holds across account types.
Independent data tells a more nuanced story. A study published in November 2025 covering more than 250 retail campaigns found AI Max delivered conversions at approximately 35% lower return on ad spend than traditional match types in the same accounts. The discrepancy is significant, and it largely traces back to account structure, how tightly brand controls are configured, and whether advertisers have properly excluded irrelevant URL paths and query categories before enabling final URL expansion.
The lesson the early data teaches is straightforward: AI Max works best when it has guardrails. URL exclusions, negative keyword lists, audience signals, and a well-written AI Brief collectively steer the system toward high-value traffic. Without those controls, the broader matching behavior can burn budget quickly on low-intent or tangentially related queries.
How to Migrate to AI Max Before the Forced Deadline
For advertisers managing active DSA campaigns right now, here is the practical migration approach based on what is working in the field as of May 2026.
Start by auditing your current DSA setup thoroughly. Document every DSA ad group, the page feeds or website sections being targeted, and every existing exclusion. This becomes your blueprint for the AI Max configuration and prevents you from starting from zero after migration.
Enable URL expansion controls before turning anything else on. Define which URL paths should and should not receive traffic using the URL contains and URL does not contain exclusion settings. Match these controls to your landing page strategy and ensure high-value conversion pages are accessible while thin or irrelevant pages are excluded.
Build comprehensive negative keyword lists proactively. AI Max’s search term matching is intentionally broader than standard keyword targeting. Without robust negatives in place, irrelevant query categories will capture budget during the ramp-up period. Build topic-level exclusions, competitor brand exclusions, and geographic exclusions before your first AI Max campaign goes live.
Write a detailed AI Brief for every campaign. The AI Brief is your most powerful lever for steering AI Max toward the right traffic and messaging. Treat it like a briefing document for a media buyer: describe your ideal customer profile, the product differentiators, the tone of voice, the geographic focus, and the conversion goal. Specific briefs consistently outperform vague ones in early testing data.
Run AI Max in parallel with existing DSA campaigns for four to six weeks. Start with 20 to 30 percent of your current DSA budget and track conversion rate, CPA, and ROAS across a full business cycle before cutting over. Parallel running also surfaces query overlap issues before they become budget problems.
What AI Max Means for Keyword-Based Search Strategy in 2026
The question most experienced PPC advertisers are asking is whether AI Max eventually replaces standard keyword campaigns entirely. The current answer is no — but the direction is unmistakable. Google consistently positions AI Max as the modern approach to search advertising, with traditional keyword campaigns playing a supporting rather than lead role.
The practical 2026 structure that is emerging in high-performing accounts is a deliberate hybrid: tightly controlled keyword campaigns for branded terms, high-intent product queries, and competitive conquesting where message precision matters most, alongside AI Max campaigns for broader discovery, long-tail informational intent, and new audience segments that keyword matching would never surface.
This matches how Google’s own portfolio bidding guidance recommends structuring campaigns — complementary coverage rather than redundant overlap.
What to Do Before Google Marketing Live on May 20, 2026
Google Marketing Live 2026 is scheduled for May 20, just over two weeks away. Based on the AI Max GA announcement, the Shopping and Travel expansion on April 30, and the DSA sunset timeline, the event is widely expected to include additional AI Max features — likely expanded Gemini integration, new creative automation capabilities, and possibly updated guidance on the September migration timeline.
For advertisers managing active DSA campaigns, completing at least the audit and URL exclusion setup before May 20 is worth doing. Any new controls or features announced at Google Marketing Live can then be layered onto a campaign structure that is already partially prepared, rather than starting from scratch with new information.
Start the Migration Before September 2026
The September deadline feels distant in May, but campaign migrations take meaningful time — especially when they involve auditing legacy DSA setups, building negative keyword lists from scratch, writing AI Briefs for multiple campaigns, and running four to six weeks of parallel testing. Five months becomes three months quickly when client approvals, reporting cycles, and other account work fill the calendar.
The advertisers who migrate proactively will have refined AI Max configurations, tested URL exclusion sets, and data-driven AI Briefs in place before the forced migration begins. Those who wait will be starting with auto-configured defaults that may not reflect their business or their audience.
For help building a Google Ads strategy that is ready for AI Max, Performance Max, and every change Google is bringing to search advertising in 2026, Rosh Media works with businesses that want measurable ROI — not just higher spend. The rules of PPC are changing fast; the strategy has to keep pace.
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