Starting September 1, Google began automatically migrating Search campaigns that use Automatically Created Assets or campaign-level broad match to AI Max. The migration is happening campaign by campaign across the month, and there is no opt out.
AI Max is not a new campaign type. It is a set of features that operate inside your existing Search campaign, replacing the older broad match setting with AI-driven query matching and creative generation. Your budgets, bid strategies and negative keywords carry through. But what the AI does with your ads has changed, and that matters if you are paying for clicks.
Here is what happened, and what to check before the month runs out.
What changed in your campaigns
If a Search campaign was running Automatically Created Assets (the setting that generates extra headlines and descriptions from your landing page) or the campaign-level broad match setting, it moved.
The two groups inherit different features. Campaigns with Automatically Created Assets come out of the migration with search term matching and text customization both switched on. Campaigns with only the campaign-level broad match setting come out with search term matching alone.
Search term matching means Google is now using AI to expand which queries trigger your ads, beyond your exact keywords. Text customization means Google is rewriting your ad text to match the query. Both can work. Both can also burn budget on queries you never wanted to pay for.
If you turned on Automatically Created Assets years ago and never looked at it again, your ads are now being rewritten by AI every time someone searches. That is the situation for a lot of accounts.
Check your search terms report this week
Go into your Search campaigns. Click into Search Terms under Insights and Reports. Sort by cost. Look at the last three weeks.
You are checking for three things:
What to do now
Add negative keywords. If AI Max is pulling in queries you do not want, add them as negatives at the campaign or account level. Do this now, not next month. Every day you wait is budget going to the wrong clicks.
Check your landing pages. AI Max pulls text from your website. If your landing page has vague or generic language, that is what the AI will use to write your ads. Tighten your copy. Be specific about what you sell, where you operate and who you serve. The clearer your page, the better the AI input.
Review your conversion tracking. If conversions are not being recorded properly, you have no way to know if the migration helped or hurt you. Go into your Google Ads account, click Tools, then Conversions. Make sure your key actions (form fills, phone calls, bookings) are still tracking. If the numbers look wrong, fix it this week.
Turn off text customization if you need control. If you are in a regulated industry, or your offer has specific legal or compliance language, you might not want Google rewriting your ads. You can go into your campaign settings, find AI Max, and turn off text customization manually. You will still have search term matching, but your ad text will stay as you wrote it.
Most small businesses I work with do not look at their search terms report until something breaks. This month, something changed.
One thing to remember
Dynamic Search Ads are not part of this migration. They move in February 2027. If you are running DSA, you have time. But the same logic applies. Get your negatives tight, get your landing pages clear, and get your tracking working before Google makes the switch for you.
AI Max is not bad. It can work, especially if your account is clean and your tracking is solid. But it only works if you check what it is actually doing. Most small businesses I work with do not look at their search terms report until something breaks. This month, something changed. Make sure it has not broken.
Prompted by Search Engine Land.