Google Replaces Dynamic Search Ads With AI Max for Search

Google is replacing Dynamic Search Ads (DSA), a format that has been part of Search ads for years, with AI Max for Search.

Dynamic Search Ads have traditionally helped advertisers capture search demand by automatically generating headlines and directing users to relevant landing pages based on website content. This has been especially useful for advertisers with large inventories or frequently changing content.

Now, Google says it is moving away from that structure in favor of a more AI-driven approach. Advertisers can manually migrate voluntarily to AI Max, with automatic migration beginning in September. Once theautomatic migration phase begins, new DSA campaigns can no longer be created in Google Ads, Google Ads Editor, or the Google Ads API. The company expects all eligible campaigns to finish migrating by the end of September.

As part of the update, AI Max for Search campaigns will move out of beta. Google previously rolled out the feature to all advertisers in beta last year. The company is also moving tools such as automatically created assets and the campaign-level broad match setting to AI Max.

What AI Max Changes for Advertisers

According to Google, AI Max will take over core DSA functions while expanding how campaigns are built and optimized. Instead of relying mainly on indexed website pages, AI Max uses a broader set of signals to match ads to search queries.

The system handles targeting, creative generation, and delivery decisions within Search campaigns. With AI Max, the system analyzes an advertiser’s website, existing campaign assets, and user intent signals simultaneously. It determines which searches to match, generates headlines from available content, and selects the most relevant landing page for each query.

The system can interpret website data more broadly rather than matching strictly to page-level indexing, as DSA does. For advertisers, this means less manual control over targeting structures and greater reliance on automated decision-making.

How the Shift Changes Targeting and Campaign Structure

The move from DSA to AI Max changes how advertisers approach targeting. DSA allows advertisers to guide performance by selecting specific parts of a website or excluding sections. AI Max reduces that level of control and shifts more decision-making to the system.

Google says AI Max does not depend on keyword lists or strict URL targeting. Instead, it uses intent signals, content understanding, and historical performance data to determine when ads should appear. This approach is being framed as a new way to match queries in Search, reinforced by Google introducing AI Max as a new match type within Google Ads.

Advertisers running active Dynamic Search Ads should identify those campaigns now and review the voluntary upgrade flow to confirm what carries over. Google says re-auditing negative keyword lists is worth doing before either migrating manually or accepting the automatic upgrade, since AI Max decides search matches from site content rather than advertiser-defined keywords.

Google’s Broader Automation Push

This change fits into Google’s ongoing shift toward automation in Search advertising. In recent years, the company has reduced reliance on manual keyword targeting and increased the role of machine learning in campaign execution.

Dynamic Search Ads were an early form of automation in Search. AI Max extends this by combining targeting, creative generation, and optimization into a single system.

The company has been positioning AI Max as a central part of it search advertising strategy. In August last year, Google introduced a unified reporting view that shows how queries, creatives, and signals contribute to campaign outcomes.