Google auto-upgrades Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max through September, with broad match and URL expansion on by default
Every active Dynamic Search Ads campaign will shift to Google's AI Max for Search unless advertisers intervene before the fall deadline.
Mariano De Vitto · September 2026
Google is set to automatically migrate every active Dynamic Search Ads campaign to AI Max for Search by September, a move confirmed in a blog post on blog.google that will hand broad match and URL expansion default control to Google's algorithms. Unlike most product rollouts, this is not opt-in: advertisers who do nothing will wake up to keyword targeting, ad copy generation, and landing page selection all governed by Google's AI-driven system.
What's Actually Changing
Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) has long been the Google Ads format built for advertisers who wanted Google's algorithms to scan their website content and match search queries to relevant pages, rather than manually building keyword lists. It was already a step toward automation, but advertisers retained meaningful controls: page feeds, exclusions, and the ability to review which landing pages ads pointed to. AI Max for Search pushes that automation several steps further. With broad match switched on by default, Google will widen the pool of queries eligible to trigger an ad, moving away from the tighter query matching DSA advertisers were used to. With URL expansion also on by default, Google gains the ability to route traffic to landing pages the advertiser never explicitly selected in campaign settings, provided the algorithm judges them a better fit for the query.
This migration touches any Search account still running DSA campaigns, and the switch happens automatically unless a marketer intervenes before the September deadline. There is no indication in Google's announcement of a grandfathering period or a granular opt-out mechanism separate from manual campaign restructuring, which means the responsibility to preserve existing controls falls entirely on the advertiser.
Following the Performance Max Playbook
The move fits neatly into a pattern Google has followed for several years. Performance Max already consolidated Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discover inventory into a single AI-managed campaign type with minimal manual levers. AI Max for Search extends that same philosophy to what was once the more transparent, controllable corner of Search advertising. Each iteration reduces the number of manual controls available inside Google Ads and increases reliance on machine-driven optimization for targeting, creative generation, and destination selection. For Google, this likely improves matching efficiency at scale and simplifies campaign management for advertisers who lack the resources to fine-tune settings. For marketers who have built careful keyword architectures, negative keyword lists, and landing page strategies, though, it represents another erosion of the granular control that shaped Search advertising for two decades.
What Marketers Should Do Now
The practical challenge here is timing and consent rather than the technology itself. Because the migration is forced rather than requested, agencies and in-house teams managing Google Search budgets need to move quickly. The first step is a full audit: identify every campaign still classified as Dynamic Search Ads before the September cutoff. From there, teams face a genuine decision: pause the campaigns, restructure them into a different format entirely, or accept the AI Max defaults and monitor performance closely afterward. Brand safety is a real concern in this scenario. URL expansion means traffic could land on pages that were never vetted for message consistency, promotional relevance, or compliance, especially for regulated industries or brands running time-sensitive campaigns.
Why it matters: marketers need to review DSA campaigns now, document current keyword and landing page controls, and decide whether to opt out of broad match or URL expansion once AI Max activates. Inaction carries a concrete cost: Google's defaults will govern targeting and ad copy in live Search accounts once the fall deadline passes, leaving less room for advertisers to correct course after the fact.
The Signal Brief · Mariano De Vitto — Head of Marketing, Barcelona