What changed
On October 21, 2026, Google announced that from December 4, 2026 the GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION asset automation setting will default to OPTED_IN for newly created Performance Max campaigns in Google Ads, Ads Editor and the Google Ads API. Until now, campaigns with no explicit setting inherited the account-level Dynamic Image Extensions choice. The new default applies even when isImageExtractionAdExtensionEnabled is false at account level. Existing campaigns retain their configurations. Advertisers who do not want their landing-page images used must explicitly set GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION to OPTED_OUT on each new campaign.
Why it matters
A previously trusted account-level safety preference will no longer govern new campaigns. Agencies, ad-automation SaaS products and in-house API integrations that create Performance Max campaigns may unexpectedly allow Google's automated asset system to take images from landing pages. That raises practical brand-control and commercial-image-rights questions; an API tool must encode the opt-out as a campaign property rather than assuming the account default protects customers. It is a timed migration task, not merely a new creative option.
Account-level opt-outs no longer control new campaigns
Google says the new OPTED_IN default will apply to Performance Max campaigns created on or after December 4, regardless of the account-level Dynamic Image Extensions setting. Existing campaigns are not automatically changed. The setting affects Google's ability to select high-resolution images from the advertiser's landing pages for ads across its inventory, including Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps.
API integrations need an explicit campaign-level decision
In the Google Ads API, set asset_automation_settings on the Campaign resource with asset_automation_type GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION and asset_automation_status OPTED_OUT when a customer declines extraction. This is a campaign setting, not a global account flag. Integrations that clone templates or create campaigns in bulk should audit their creation payloads and test the resulting state before December 4.
Updating a campaign can overwrite unrelated asset settings
Google warns that asset_automation_settings is a repeated field: sending a new set replaces the entire array, rather than merging one entry. Before updating an existing campaign, retrieve all current settings, modify the image-extraction entry, and include the other desired settings such as text automation. A partial update can silently clear other asset-automation preferences.
The source material and evidence boundary
Google's October 21 developer notice provides the effective date, affected interfaces and REST example. PPC Land independently explains the account-versus-campaign implications and the six-week implementation window. Google's notice does not claim existing campaigns will be forcibly switched on, and this dossier does not imply all extracted images are automatically used in every ad.