Google Ads Will Auto-Upgrade ACA and Broad Match to AI Max Starting September 1, 2026

Google Ads is auto-upgrading campaigns that use Automatically Created Assets (ACA) and campaign-level broad match to AI Max for Search campaigns starting September 1, 2026. The migration is part of Google’s broader shift from keyword-based auctions to intent-based automation, and it follows AI Max’s official exit from beta on August 11, 2026.

The short version

Google Ads sent an email to advertisers on August 7, 2026 confirming that “campaigns using automatically created assets (ACA) and/or campaign-level broad match setting will automatically be upgraded to AI Max for Search campaigns” starting September 1. Voluntary upgrades open the week of August 11. AI Max provides query-level reporting, text customization, and an average 7% lift in conversions at similar CPA/ROAS — with more control and transparency than Performance Max, according to early adopter feedback.

Key facts

• ACA campaigns upgrade to AI Max with search term matching + text customization enabled by default
• Campaign-level broad match upgrades to AI Max with search term matching enabled
• Voluntary upgrades available now; auto-migration begins September 1
• 7% conversion lift reported by Google for advertisers using all AI Max features
• More transparency than PMax: query-level, cross-headline, and cross-landing page reporting

What happened

On August 7, 2026, Google Ads began notifying advertisers that two long-standing campaign features — Automatically Created Assets (ACA) and the campaign-level broad match setting — will be automatically upgraded to AI Max for Search campaigns starting September 1. The news broke when Menachem Ani shared a screenshot of the email on X, calling it “the great merge continues.” Search Engine Roundtable reported the story the same day.

Two days earlier, on August 5, Digiday reported that AI Max was officially moving out of beta — making it the replacement not just for Dynamic Search Ads but for ACA and broad match as well. Brandon Ervin, Google’s director of product management for Google Ads, confirmed that voluntary upgrades begin the week of August 11, with mandatory migration following in September. “Come September, the search giant is further automating its search business, essentially moving from a keyword-based auction to an intent-based auction,” Digiday reported.

What exactly is being migrated?

Google’s email specifies two migration paths with different default settings, reflecting what each legacy feature contributed to campaign automation.

Automatically Created Assets (ACA): These campaigns will be upgraded to AI Max with both search term matching and text customization enabled by default. This makes sense — ACA was already generating headlines and descriptions dynamically, so AI Max inherits that creative automation layer and adds query-level intent matching on top.

Campaign-level broad match: These campaigns upgrade to AI Max with search term matching enabled. Broad match at the campaign level was a targeting expansion feature, not a creative one, so text customization isn’t activated by default. Advertisers can enable it manually if they want AI-generated ad copy alongside their expanded targeting.

In both cases, Google says the AI Max configuration will “closely mirror your legacy setup” — meaning your existing targeting, bids, and budgets carry over. You’re not starting from scratch.

How is AI Max different from Performance Max?

The comparison matters because PMax earned a reputation as a “black box” — powerful but opaque. AI Max appears to be Google’s answer to that criticism.

“We can see pretty much everything that is being done within the accounts, aside from the actual thinking process of the AI,” Zachary Evans, performance media supervisor at Noble People, told Digiday.

Google has built in reporting at the query level, cross-headline level, and cross-landing-page level. You also get advanced controls that PMax lacked at launch: geo settings, brand controls, and a new text guideline feature to manage creative messaging and tone. In practice, this means you can see which search terms triggered your ads, which headlines are winning, and which landing pages drive conversions — all within AI Max’s reporting.

The performance benchmark is more modest than PMax’s headline numbers, but still meaningful. Google reports that advertisers using search term matching, text customization, and final URL expansion together see an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS compared to using only search term matching. For context, PMax campaigns report an average 27% lift — but with far less transparency about where those conversions come from.

What this means (our take)

This migration closes a chapter. Google has been consolidating its campaign types for three years — first Smart Shopping into PMax, then DSA into AI Max, and now ACA and broad match into AI Max. By September 2026, the only search campaign types that matter will be AI Max (automated) and standard Search (manual with Smart Bidding). Everything in between is being absorbed.

The practical consequence: if you’re using campaign-level broad match as a discovery layer, you’re about to get query-level reporting that broad match never gave you. Previously, broad match at the campaign level expanded reach but left you squinting at search term reports trying to figure out what actually triggered. AI Max with search term matching should surface that data more cleanly.

The risk is attribution overlap. Tucker Matheson, co-founder at Markacy, flagged this to Digiday: “Brands will likely see a higher reported CVR, but have less clarity on the drivers” because AI Max “leverages modeled conversion, cross-channel attribution and assisted conversions.” If you run AI Max alongside existing broad match campaigns or Performance Max, you’ll need to watch for conversion double-counting and cannibalization.

David Dweck, president at Go Fish Digital, framed the inevitability well: “You can’t stop the train that’s coming and Google is that. Advertisers have seized onto Google because of how effective all their ad types are.” The question isn’t whether to adopt AI Max — it’s how to configure it before September 1 so you’re not surprised by the auto-upgrade.

For more on how automated bidding fits into this picture, see our Google Ads AI bidding and budgeting updates for August 2026. If you’re running Performance Max alongside these campaigns, review our Performance Max strategy guide for 2026.

What to do now

1. Audit your ACA and broad match campaigns this week. Identify every campaign in your account that uses ACA or campaign-level broad match. Pull a list from Google Ads and prioritize by spend — the highest-spend campaigns need attention first.

2. Voluntarily upgrade one campaign before September 1. The voluntary upgrade path is open as of the week of August 11. Pick a medium-spend campaign, upgrade it, and monitor query-level reports, conversion data, and spend patterns for at least a week before the auto-migration hits everything else.

3. Review your text customization settings. If you’re coming from ACA, AI Max will enable text customization by default. If you have strict brand guidelines, use the new text guideline feature to constrain AI-generated ad copy before the auto-upgrade fires.

4. Set up conversion action deduplication. If you run AI Max alongside existing Search or PMax campaigns, configure conversion tracking to avoid double-counting. Use account-level conversion actions and ensure only one campaign type claims each conversion.

5. Check your DSA campaigns too. If you still have Dynamic Search Ads running, note that Google previously announced a DSA-to-AI-Max migration path, and this ACA/broad match upgrade is part of the same consolidation. Read our DSA to AI Max upgrade guide for the full picture.

FAQ

Sources

• Search Engine Roundtable — Google Ads To Migrate ACA & Broad Match To AI Max September 1
• Digiday — Marketers shrug off the Google AI Max inevitable migration
• PPC Land — Google Ads broad match campaigns face AI Max auto-upgrade on September 1
• AdExchanger — Google Touts Its AI Ad Tech Adoption And New AI Max Features
• blog.google — Evolve your marketing with new AI tools