AI Max in Google Ads: what changes for service businesses
AI Max is a set of Google Ads features that extends Search campaigns beyond your keywords and changes ad copy. Google is moving some campaigns to it automatically, so it's worth checking your account.
What's changing
- In September 2026 Google began automatically moving campaigns with automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match to AI Max
- Campaigns with automatically created assets get search term matching and text customization switched on
- Campaign-level broad match gets search term matching switched on
- Google postponed the automatic move of Dynamic Search Ads to February 2027
Why it matters for service businesses
AI Max can show ads for searches that aren't on your keyword list. This can bring new clients, but it can also spend the budget on people who aren't right for you. For local services with a limited budget, the difference is noticeable.
What to check in your account
- Whether your campaigns have moved to AI Max automatically
- The search terms report: whether new irrelevant searches have appeared
- Negative keywords for new types of searches
- Ad copy that the system changes on its own
- Brand and location controls
How I approach it
New automated features shouldn't be switched on blindly. At launch I usually keep campaigns without AI Max to see clean search term data, and I recommend enabling it as a separate test once there are enough conversions. Google has also added dedicated AI Max columns to reporting, so the results can be compared.
- Some campaigns move to AI Max automatically
- AI Max shows ads beyond your keyword list
- It's best enabled as a separate test
Updated 9 November 2026
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