Google is continuing its push toward AI Max, and this time it’s making the transition automatic for certain Search campaigns.
Starting September 1, 2026, campaigns using Automatically Created Assets (ACA) and/or the campaign-level broad match setting will automatically be upgraded to AI Max.
Google says the new AI Max configuration will closely mirror the campaign’s existing setup. For campaigns using Automatically Created Assets, Search Term Matching and Text Customization will be enabled by default. Campaigns using the campaign-level broad match setting will have Search Term Matching enabled by default.
Google recommends advertisers transition to AI Max themselves to “maintain full control” over their campaign setup.
That recommendation is a little difficult to square with the fact that Google is simultaneously making AI Max the automatic destination for campaigns using these legacy features.
What This Means for Law Firms
For law firms, this is another meaningful shift toward Google deciding more of the campaign’s targeting and messaging automatically.
Legal Search campaigns often require a high degree of control because not every semantically related search is a valuable search. A personal injury firm may want to appear for someone actively looking for a personal injury attorney, but that doesn’t mean every search Google interprets as related to personal injury should receive an ad.
That’s why we put so much emphasis on keyword structure, match types, negative keywords, ad messaging, landing pages, and search-term monitoring.
AI Max changes that equation by giving Google’s systems more authority to determine which searches are relevant and how an advertiser’s messaging can be presented.
The latest change is particularly notable because advertisers aren’t simply being encouraged to test those capabilities. Eligible campaigns will be automatically upgraded unless advertisers turn off the legacy features or enable AI Max themselves.
Google says the new settings will closely mirror the legacy setup, which should help make the transition less disruptive. But matching the old configuration doesn’t necessarily mean maintaining the same level of control.
For a law firm spending thousands of dollars per month on high-value searches, that’s an important distinction.
Our Take
This is another example of Google steadily narrowing the gap between “AI-powered option” and “AI-powered default.”
We’re not opposed to testing AI Max. There are accounts and campaigns where Google’s automation may identify opportunities that a more tightly controlled setup would miss.
The concern is what happens when advertisers don’t want that level of automation.
Google’s continued approach seems to be: introduce a new AI feature, encourage advertisers to adopt it, and eventually make the older alternatives increasingly difficult to maintain.
We’d prefer the opposite approach.
Give advertisers more options and let performance determine which ones win.
That’s particularly important in legal advertising, where campaign quality can’t be measured simply by whether Google finds more searches or generates more conversions. A campaign can produce more conversions while simultaneously producing worse leads.
Search Term Matching is a good example. Google’s ability to understand the meaning behind a search can be useful, but semantic relevance isn’t the same thing as commercial intent. And when every click has the potential to cost a significant amount of money, advertisers should have as much control as possible over that distinction.
The bigger issue is that this is happening alongside a broader reduction in manual controls throughout Google Ads. AI Max is becoming increasingly central to how Google wants Search campaigns to operate, while advertisers continue to lose some of the levers they previously used to manage those campaigns themselves.
That’s a direction we’re going to continue watching very closely.
What ADSQUIRE Is Doing
We’re reviewing these campaigns individually rather than assuming an automatic upgrade is automatically an improvement.
That means:
- Identifying campaigns using ACA and/or campaign-level broad match
- Reviewing which campaigns are subject to the automatic upgrade
- Evaluating whether AI Max makes sense for each campaign
- Monitoring the search terms generated through Search Term Matching
- Closely reviewing lead quality after any transition
- Maintaining negative keyword controls wherever possible
- Comparing performance against pre-AI Max benchmarks
- Watching conversion quality, not just conversion volume
- Opting out where maintaining the existing campaign structure makes more sense
For law firms, the objective isn’t to give Google more opportunities to spend the budget.
It’s to make sure the budget is being spent on searches that can actually produce cases.
Conclusion
Google is making another significant step toward an AI-first Search advertising ecosystem by automatically upgrading eligible campaigns to AI Max.
There may be legitimate performance benefits, and we’ll continue testing those benefits where they make sense.
But we don’t think advertisers should have fewer choices simply because Google’s preferred campaign structure is becoming more automated.
For law firms, control over search intent remains incredibly important. More automation, more matching, and more AI-generated decisions don’t automatically translate into better leads.
As Google continues moving Search in this direction, we’ll be paying less attention to how much automation Google can introduce—and more attention to whether that automation actually improves the quality of cases our clients acquire.
