The short answer: between 1 and 30 September 2026, Google Ads automatically upgraded Search campaigns that used the campaign-level broad match setting or automatically created assets to AI Max. Your ads and keywords stayed, but search term matching was switched on, so Google can now show your ads on searches beyond the keywords you chose. For a local service business on a small budget, that can mean clicks from outside your area or for jobs you don't do. Check your search terms report, add negatives, confirm your locations, and switch search term matching off in any ad group where it is wasting money.
If you logged into Google Ads recently and found an "AI Max" panel you never turned on, this is why. Google announced the change in April 2026 and set the dates in an August post on its Ads Developer Blog.
AI Max is Google's name for a bundle of automated features in Search campaigns. It has three parts: search term matching, which decides which searches can trigger your ads; text customisation, which writes extra headlines from your site and ads; and final URL expansion, which can send a click to a different page on your site.
Was my campaign upgraded?
Only if it used one of two older settings. According to Google's Ads Developer Blog (12 August 2026), the September upgrade covered Search campaigns using:
- the campaign-level broad match setting, or
- standalone automatically created assets, the feature that wrote extra headlines for you.
A plain Search campaign with exact and phrase match keywords and no automatically created assets was not in scope. Dynamic Search Ads were also left out. Their automatic migration is scheduled for February 2027.
To check, open the campaign's settings and look for the AI Max section, or look in the change history for September.
What exactly changed?
Google upgraded campaigns "in-place" with settings meant to mirror the old setup. The defaults depend on which old setting you had:
| You were using | Search term matching | Text customisation | Final URL expansion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign-level broad match | On | Off | Off |
| Automatically created assets | On | On | Off |
| Dynamic Search Ads | Not upgraded yet (February 2027) |
Brand inclusion and exclusion lists carried over. Google also blocked anyone from creating new campaign-level broad match or legacy automatically created asset setups from 3 August 2026.
The column that matters is the first one. Search term matching uses broad match and what Google calls "keywordless" technology. Google reads your keywords, ads and landing pages and decides which other searches are relevant. Before, a campaign-level broad match setting already loosened your keywords. Now Google can also match searches that none of your keywords cover.
Is that bad for a local business?
Not automatically. Google's April 2026 announcement claims an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value for campaigns using the full AI Max suite. That is at a similar cost per acquisition or return on ad spend. That compares the full suite with search term matching alone, not with a tightly managed keyword campaign. It is also Google's own number.
The risk for a small local advertiser is simpler. A Kamloops furnace company spending $25 a day cannot afford many irrelevant clicks. Looser matching can find searches like these:
- Jobs you don't do. "Furnace repair" stretching to "furnace parts" or "how to relight a furnace".
- Urgency you can't meet. "Emergency" or "24 hour" searches when you don't offer call-outs.
- Places you don't serve. Searches mentioning other towns, if your location settings allow them.
- Research, not buying. "Average cost to replace a furnace in BC".
Google's own help centre adds a warning worth reading twice: "AI Max won't be effective if campaigns are limited by budget." Most small local campaigns are limited by budget.
The four checks to do this week
1. Read the search terms report
Go to Insights and reports → Search terms. Google says AI Max adds an "AI Max" match type and a source column showing whether a search matched through broad match or keywordless matching. Filter to AI Max and read every term from the last 30 days. You're looking for searches you would never have bid on.
2. Add negative keywords
Every irrelevant term goes on your negative keyword list. Add "parts", "DIY", "jobs", "salary", "free" and other towns' names if they show up. Negatives are the main way to steer search term matching without switching it off.
3. Confirm your locations
Check Locations in campaign settings. Google's default is "Presence or Interest", which also reaches people elsewhere who show interest in your area. Google's help centre says to consider "Presence" — "people in or regularly in your targeted locations" — when you only want people who are actually there. For most service-area businesses, that is the safer setting. AI Max also adds an ad-group-level control called locations of interest, which targets searches about a place even without a matching keyword. It suits a business that wants searchers from elsewhere, such as a hotel. Leave it alone if you only want local searchers.
4. Decide per ad group whether to keep search term matching
Search term matching can be switched off in the ad group settings. Turn it off where the search terms report shows mostly waste, and leave it on where it is finding real enquiries. Give it at least two to four weeks of data before you decide. One bad day isn't a trend.
If text customisation is on, also check the headlines Google is writing. With final URL expansion on, Google's help centre says pinned headlines aren't respected. That matters if you pinned a licence number, a price or a required disclaimer.
What happened to language targeting?
Google removed it for Search. From late September 2026, Search and AI Max for Search campaigns no longer use a campaign-level language setting. According to Google's 13 August 2026 developer post, "Search ads will automatically match based on the language of your ads."
For most Kamloops businesses advertising in English, nothing changes. If you run ads in Punjabi, French or another language, the language of the ad text now does the targeting. Make sure each campaign's ads and landing page are written entirely in the language you want to reach.
Should I just switch AI Max off?
You can switch off each part, so it isn't all or nothing. A sensible default for a small local service business:
| Setting | Sensible starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Search term matching | On only in ad groups that prove it with real enquiries | Biggest effect on where the budget goes |
| Text customisation | On if you review the generated headlines monthly | Can help relevance, can also say things you wouldn't |
| Final URL expansion | Off for a small site | Sends clicks to pages that weren't built to convert ad traffic |
| Negative keywords | Updated every week for the first month | Your main control either way |
If your budget is small and the account has little conversion history, keyword-led control usually beats automation. Automation needs data and money to learn from. If you are tracking calls and form fills properly and the budget can absorb some testing, leave search term matching on in one ad group and compare. That only works if you know which leads came from ads.
Common questions
What is AI Max in Google Ads?
AI Max is Google's bundle of automated features for Search campaigns. It has three parts: search term matching, which lets ads show on searches beyond your keywords; text customisation, which generates extra ad copy; and final URL expansion, which can send clicks to other pages on your site.
Did Google automatically turn on AI Max for my campaigns?
Only if a Search campaign used the campaign-level broad match setting or automatically created assets. Google upgraded those between 1 and 30 September 2026. Plain keyword campaigns weren't upgraded, and Dynamic Search Ads are scheduled for February 2027.
Can I turn off AI Max search term matching?
Yes. Search term matching can be switched off in the ad group settings, one ad group at a time. Text customisation and final URL expansion are separate campaign-level settings you can switch off individually.
Does AI Max work with a small budget?
Google's help centre says AI Max won't be effective if a campaign is limited by budget, which most small local campaigns are. With a small budget, review the search terms report weekly, add negatives, and keep search term matching only where it produces real enquiries.
What happened to language targeting in Google Ads Search campaigns?
From late September 2026, Google removed the campaign-level language setting for Search and AI Max for Search campaigns. Ads now match on the language they are written in. Performance Max keeps the setting for channels other than Search.
The honest summary
Google moved a lot of small advertisers onto AI Max in September 2026, and most of them didn't choose it. The change isn't a disaster. It does mean your ads can reach searches you never picked, and on a small budget each wasted click hurts.
Read your search terms report, add negatives every week for a month, check your locations, and switch off search term matching wherever it isn't earning its keep. If you'd rather someone else watched the account, that's what Google Ads management in Kamloops covers. Still deciding whether paid search is right for you? Start with when Google Ads is worth it for a Kamloops business and whether to start with local SEO or Ads.
Sources: Google Ads Developer Blog — Migrate campaign-level broad match and automatically created assets to AI Max (12 August 2026) · Google Ads language targeting changes starting September 2026 (13 August 2026) · DSA automigration delayed to February 2027 (11 June 2026) · Google — We're upgrading Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max (April 2026) · Google Ads Help — AI Max for Search campaigns
Written by Jagatjeet, a web architect and digital marketer based in Kamloops, BC. Jagatjeet (jagatjeet.com) builds websites, local SEO and Google Ads campaigns for businesses across the BC Interior. Published 7 October 2026.