TLDR
Google will automatically convert all remaining eligible Search campaigns to AI Max by the end of September 2026, with no opt-out for legacy settings. Three Google Ads changes land in the same four-week window, making this the most compressed period for account hygiene in years.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Three changes, one window
September 2026 is when Google stops waiting. All remaining eligible Search campaigns running Dynamic Search Ads (DSA), Automatically Created Assets, or campaign-level broad match will be automatically upgraded to AI Max by the end of September 2026, whether the account owner initiates the change or not.[1] There is no legacy opt-out.
That upgrade lands in the same four-week window as two other platform changes. The first is the Local Services Ads (LSA) migration to Performance Max, which began in August 2026 for select home and storefront service advertisers in the United States.[3] The second is a global Smart Bidding update, completed on 27 August 2026, that changed how budget-limited campaigns using Target CPA (cost per acquisition) and Target ROAS (return on ad spend) are optimised. Any account that does nothing will surface the other side of September with different settings, different budgets, and missing historical data.
What AI Max switches on by default
AI Max is Google's optimisation layer for Search that expands keyword reach and automates creative assets using real-time AI. When the auto-upgrade occurs, new Search campaigns will have AI Max turned on by default, and when asset optimisation is enabled, both Text customisation and Final URL expansion are active from the start.[2] Final URL expansion allows Google to send traffic to pages other than the one the advertiser specified, a setting some teams actively switch off for brand-safety or landing-page-testing reasons.
Brandon Ervin, Director of Product Management at Google Ads, said: "AI Max for Search campaigns is moving out of beta. Starting in September, legacy features like Dynamic Search Ads will automatically upgrade to AI Max, offering a smarter way to scale performance in the new era of Search."[1] Ervin also said: "We strongly recommend transitioning to AI Max now to maintain full control over your campaign setup, and start familiarizing yourself with the new controls."[1]
Google's published performance figure is a 7% average lift in conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS when using the full AI Max feature suite, compared with search term matching alone.[1] That figure comes from Google's own data, not an independent audit, so agencies carrying client commitments based on historical CPA targets should treat it as directional.
Local Services: the data that disappears
Historical Local Services Ads performance reports will not carry over to Google Ads when a campaign migrates, and advertisers must export or screenshot them before the migration date from the redirection page at ads.google.com/localservices/gaferedirection.[4] For any Australian agency managing home-services or storefront clients with US accounts, that export needs to happen before migration completes, not after.
The budget mechanic on migration day also requires attention. Weekly budgets are converted to daily budgets by dividing by seven, and both manual bidding and vertical-level Target CPA are deprecated with no direct replacement.[3] A campaign running on a $700 weekly budget becomes one running on a $100 daily budget. The maths is identical, but the control surface and reporting cadence change, and any automated rules or scripts referencing weekly spend will need to be rewritten.
What to do in the account this week
For Australian teams managing Search campaigns, the immediate priority is identifying which campaigns carry DSA, Automatically Created Assets, or campaign-level broad match. Running the upgrade manually before September gives the account holder control over how the transition is structured, including which URL expansion settings are applied, rather than accepting Google's defaults wholesale.
For anyone managing LSA accounts on behalf of US clients, the export from ads.google.com/localservices/gaferedirection should happen before any migration notification arrives.[4] On the Smart Bidding side, the 27 August update to Target CPA and Target ROAS for budget-limited campaigns is already live globally, so any performance anomalies from the last week of August may trace back to that change rather than to creative or seasonal factors.[2]
Google's September deadline for AI Max auto-upgrades is the hard stop: three platform changes compressed into one calendar month, with the auto-conversion of eligible Search campaigns the last to land.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which campaigns will be automatically upgraded to AI Max in September 2026?
What happens to my Local Services Ads historical performance data?
What does Final URL expansion do, and is it on by default?
What is the 7% conversion uplift figure and where does it come from?
What changed with Smart Bidding on 27 August 2026?
Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.
