Goodbye DSA, Hello AI Max: Google is shutting down Dynamic Search Ads

Google’s new AI Max update could cost you dearly if you wait. Google is rolling out the first updates as early as September 2026 – right in the lead-up to the most important retail season of the year. That is why you need to act proactively now, ensuring vital ad spend is not left at the mercy of unpredictable algorithmic fluctuations during Black Friday and the Christmas shopping rush.

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By Hanne Larsen,
Digital marketing consultant
May 26, 2026

If you are using Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) in your Google Ads advertising, it is time to pay close attention. Google has officially announced that this well-known campaign type is being retired. The phase-out and final automatic migration to the new AI Max features will take place in February 2027. At Iternum Digital, we recommend starting your testing phase right now – and we stand ready to guide you safely through the transition.

For years, DSA has been a reliable engine for many e-commerce webshops and B2B companies, capturing the search queries you hadn’t thought of yourself. But times are changing, and Google is moving even deeper into the age of AI. What does this mean for your business, and how do we ensure your campaigns don’t lose momentum? Let’s dive in.

What exactly is AI Max?

Following an extended beta period, Google is now rolling out AI Max features broadly to Search campaigns. While the classic DSA campaign primarily scanned your landing pages and matched them with relevant searches, AI Max takes things a step further.

AI Max is not an entirely new, separate campaign type, but rather an intelligent optimization layer integrated directly into your existing Search campaigns. It combines your website with your existing ad copy, keywords, and real-time signals regarding the user’s specific intent. According to Google, this delivers better precision, but it also means one thing: less manual control and more trust in the algorithm.

Google is upgrading core elements across the platform to this new AI logic:

  • Dynamic Search Ads (DSA): Final phase-out in February 2027, where ad groups will be upgraded to standard ad groups powered by AI Max’s search term matching and URL expansion.
  • Automatically Created Assets (ACA): Will be fully integrated under AI Max as early as autumn 2026.
  • Campaign-level Broad Match: Will also be handed over to AI Max’s advanced matching logic in autumn 2026.

Why you should NOT wait for Google’s automatic migration

It can be tempting to sit back and let Google handle the work when the final deadline arrives. However, we strongly advise against this.

When Google hits the big automatic migration button, it will be done using default settings. This means features like Final URL expansion and automatic ad copy adjustments will be enabled by default. If we instead handle this manually and controlled during a testing phase now, we retain control over your settings, your campaign structure, and—most importantly—your historical data.

Although the final DSA deadline has been pushed to early 2027, Google is rolling out the first ACA and Broad Match updates as early as September 2026 – right as many return from summer holidays, and just a few months before Black Friday and the Christmas season kick off. That is not the time you want unpredictable fluctuations affecting your vital ad spend. By testing AI Max on selected campaigns now, we ensure full stability during the most important quarter of the year.

Unsure how the shift will affect your budget? Let’s take a look at your current account. Contact Iternum Digital today for a non-binding chat.

Let’s future-proof your Google Ads account together

Automation keeps marching forward, and AI Max is the next natural step. This is neither something to panic about nor to ignore – it simply requires us to shift focus from manual keyword work to strategic management, sharp audience lists, and high-quality first-party data.

Are you using DSA today, and do you want to ensure your account is geared for AI Max without losing valuable revenue?

Contact us and book a strategic meeting about your transition to AI Max – let’s map out the plan together.

Do you need help trasitioning your Google Ads to AI Max?

Feel free to call and we can have a chat about how we can help map out the plan together. 

Hanne Larsen
Senior Digital Marketing Consultant
hanne@iternumdigital.com
+4532121100

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