• by Laurie Sullivan , Yesterday

Google will replace Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) with AI Max for Search, an AI-powered solution, for all advertisers.

The news, announced Wednesday, focuses on all campaigns using DSA, automatically created assets (ACA), and campaign-level broad match.

All will automatically move to Google’s next version of its advertising platform in different phases to support the next phase of search and advertising. 

"When we talk about the new era of search, we’re really talking about how people’s search habits have become much more complex and difficult to predict," Brandon Ervin, director of product management at Google Ads, told MediaPost.

AI Max streamlines advertising by replacing manual adjustments with AI-driven targeting, delivering personalized messages to more consumers.

For Search campaigns, it uses advertiser context such as landing pages, keywords, and creative assets to understand user intent in the moment.

By aligning business goals with real-time signals, AI Max reveals new opportunities for relevance in ads.

The platform will provide the same advantages as DSA, but with smarter AI-powered features.

By combining advertiser input — such as ads and website content — with more comprehensive signals, it helps users discover additional untapped queries while ensuring  relevance.

Google data shows campaigns generated an average of 7% more conversions, or conversion value at a similar cost per action (CPA) or return on ad spend (ROAS), when using features in the full suite such as search term matching, text customization, and landing page. 

“This evolution is about moving from static tools to a system that truly understands intent,” Ervin said. “Simply pulling text from a website isn't enough anymore.”

Ervin sees AI Max as the strongest way to gain performance now, while setting up advertisers to take advantage of future shifts in search behavior powered by Gemini.

The breakthrough combines an advertiser’s existing assets with better signals and advanced controls. Rather than reacting, the system proactively finds the moments that matter most. It tailors responses to specific queries so they are highly relevant and aligned with a business's goals, Ervin explains.

AI Max will roll out in phases. Phase one is voluntary. DSA users will see the rollout for upgrade tools starting this week to help advertisers port historical settings and data into new, standard ad groups to ensure an easy transition.

ACA and campaign-level broad-match setting users will soon see a pop-up banner in their Google Ads user interface to upgrade to AI Max.

In Phase 2, beginning in September, all remaining eligible search campaigns running legacy settings will automatically upgrade to AI Max.

When this occurs, advertisers will not have the ability to create new campaigns with DSA via Google Ads, Google Ads Editor and the Google Ads API. Notices will be sent out regarding the transition.

AI Max will be enabled with settings configured to mirror an advertiser’s legacy systems once the auto upgrades are complete.