Living module. This lesson summarises the Search and AI Max news known as of 22 August 2026. It is reviewed every month; check the update date.
1 · AI Max becomes the foundation of Search campaigns
What changes: at Google Marketing Live 2026, Google presented AI Max as the layer Search campaigns are built on, not as an optional add-on: intent-based matching, text and URLs adapted to each query. The trend is clear: new campaigns are born with AI Max and the controls get refined rather than being offered as one global switch.
Class: on by default (and on its way to mandatory).
What it means: the whole of module 3 at this level. Measure by source, set the baseline, watch the opaque bucket and the drift. Review in every account which campaigns have AI Max on and since when.
2 · Dynamic search ads (DSA) migrate to AI Max
What changes: Google announced in 2026 that DSAs are being upgraded to AI Max: the web crawling and the generation of headlines and URLs that DSAs used to do become the "keywordless" and "final URL expansion" components of AI Max inside ordinary Search campaigns.
Class: mandatory (migration with a calendar).
What it means: dedicated DSA campaigns (module 1 of the Intermediate level, lesson 6) will stop existing as such; their uses (discovering terms, covering catalogues) are handled with AI Max and its controls (URL exclusions, brands, negatives). Plan the migration before the deadline; keep the DSA search term history for the baseline.
3 · AI Max in Shopping and in travel formats
What changes: AI Max is extending to Shopping campaigns and to travel-specific formats, with their own reports.
Class: optional and relevant (ecommerce, travel); watch out in case it becomes a default.
What it means: the same traceability problem transferred to the catalogue. Before switching it on, take a standard Shopping baseline by product (POAS) and apply the method from module 3 to Shopping's traffic sources.
4 · New controls: brand, tone and matching requirements
What changes: Google has added features to AI Max to steer the AI with brand tone and messaging, plus finer matching requirements (which searches are in and which are out).
Class: optional and relevant.
What it means: the controls are the good part of the news — using them (brand exclusions, URLs, negatives, tone) is what turns AI Max into a decision of your own. Review the settings of every campaign with AI Max and fill in any controls that are empty.
5 · Ads in AI Search
What changes: Google is reinventing ads for AI Search (generated answers) so that they slot into the conversation as complements and adapt in real time to each person's query.
Class: announced / rolling out; on by default when it lands (Search ads can appear in AI experiences without separate configuration).
What it means: new placements with less visibility over where and with what text the ad appears. Watch the network and placement reports when Google exposes them; CTR and conversion rate by format will be the first signal.
6 · Broad match recommended with Smart Bidding (ongoing)
What changes: nothing new, but the recommendation to move to broad match with Smart Bidding still appears in every account, and auto-apply recommendations includes it.
Class: on by default if auto-apply is switched on.
What it means: check that auto-apply is switched off (module 7 of the Basic level) and, if you do want broad match, run the experiment from module 1 of the Intermediate level.
Summary of actions (August 2026)
- Inventory of campaigns with AI Max on, and since when; baseline.
- Plan for the DSA migration to AI Max with controls.
- AI Max controls filled in (brand, URLs, negatives, tone).
- Auto-apply recommendations: off.
- Follow the reports for ads in AI Search once they exist.
💡 Ninja trick: the AI Max Analyzer (free) is updated with every change to the AI Max reports so it can keep separating by source; and it is the Suite's news agent that spots these changes every Friday. When this lesson changes its date, the analyzer probably will too.
What you should remember
- AI Max is already the foundation of Search; DSAs migrate to it; it is reaching Shopping and travel.
- The controls (brand, tone, URLs, negatives) are the lever: fill them in.
- Ads in AI Search: new placements with less visibility.
- Measuring by source and holding a baseline are still the defence (module 3).