Google Ads is replacing more manual Search controls with AI Max

Google has expanded the September 2026 Search automation transition beyond language targeting. From September 1 through September 30, existing Search campaigns that still use campaign-level Broad Match or standalone Automatically Created Assets settings will be automatically migrated to equivalent AI Max settings. Google stopped allowing new legacy configurations across the UI, Google Ads Editor and API on August 3. Separately, in late September, Search and AI Max for Search campaigns will stop using campaign-level language targeting, and Google Ads API clients must stop adding or updating Search campaign language criteria.

Search campaign automation is becoming less optional at the configuration layer. Advertisers and SaaS tooling now have two concrete migration tasks in the same month: audit what Google will convert into AI Max, and remove language-targeting assumptions from campaign creation and reporting. The changes can affect query matching, creative generation, final URL behavior, multilingual delivery and API compatibility even when campaign budgets and business goals stay unchanged.

Google says it will automatically migrate existing campaign-level Broad Match and standalone Automatically Created Assets configurations between September 1 and September 30. The migration maps the legacy settings to equivalent AI Max controls intended to preserve behavior: search-term matching, text customization and final URL expansion are enabled in combinations that correspond to the settings a campaign already uses. Brand inclusions and exclusions are carried over where applicable.

Search and AI Max for Search campaigns will no longer use a campaign-level language setting. Google says Search ads will instead match using the ad language together with signals about languages a user understands, including search-term language and user settings. Performance Max loses the setting only for Search inventory; YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail continue to use it.

Since August 3, clients can no longer create new legacy campaign-level Broad Match or standalone ACA configurations. Google says future Ads API versions released after September 1 will remove support for the legacy entities, while older API versions retain them until their normal sunset. Separately, adding or updating CampaignCriterion.language for Search will return ContextError.OPERATION_NOT_PERMITTED_FOR_CONTEXT after the language-targeting rollout. Tooling vendors should treat these as different compatibility changes rather than one field rename.

Dynamic Search Ads are not part of the September automatic migration. Google plans warnings beginning in September 2026, another reminder on January 15, 2027, and automatic migration between February 1 and February 28, 2027. That staggered schedule matters for accounts that use both DSA and the legacy Broad Match or ACA settings.

AI Max can change how queries are matched, how text assets are generated and which landing page receives traffic when final URL expansion is enabled. Google says the conversion is designed to minimize disruption, but teams should record their pre-migration configuration and compare search terms, assets, destinations, spend and conversion quality after the change.