Google is pushing back the automatic migration of Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) to AI Max for Search campaigns by five months and restoring advertisers’ ability to create new DSA campaigns.
The move gives advertisers more time to test AI-powered alternatives and manage the transition away from one of Google’s longest-running search campaign types on their own terms.
What’s changing. Google’s automatic upgrade of DSA campaigns to AI Max — or Search campaigns using broad match and Smart Bidding — has been postponed from September 2026 to February 2027.
The company is also restoring the ability to create new DSA campaigns beginning June 15th, reversing an earlier phase-out step.
Why we care. Google is giving advertisers nearly six extra months more to evaluate AI Max and other AI-powered search formats before being forced off DSAs. That additional time allows teams to run side-by-side tests, benchmark performance and refine migration strategies rather than relying on an automatic transition.
What prompted the change. According to Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin, the extension comes in response to advertiser feedback requesting more time to prepare for the transition.
- “We’ve heard your feedback loud and clear: you need more time to transition from Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) to AI Max,” Marvin wrote on LinkedIn, adding that Google wanted to avoid interfering with advertisers’ Q4 planning and execution.
What advertisers should do. Google is encouraging advertisers to audit existing DSA campaigns, run side-by-side experiments against AI Max for Search and use voluntary migration tools before the February 2027 deadline. Manual upgrades provide greater oversight and control while preserving historical reporting and campaign learnings.
Marvin also noted that automatically created assets and the campaign-level broad match setting will still transition to AI Max as scheduled in September 2026.
Default settings change. While Google is extending the DSA timeline, it is continuing to make AI Max a central part of its Search strategy. Marvin revealed that AI Max is now the default setting when creating new Search campaigns, citing testing that showed campaigns achieved their first conversion faster during the first two weeks after launch.
Timeline:
- June 2026: DSA campaign creation returns.
- June 2026 – January 2027: Extended testing and voluntary migration period.
- January 2027: New DSA creation ends.
- February 2027: Automatic migration begins for remaining campaigns.
The bottom line. Google is giving advertisers a longer runway to transition from Dynamic Search Ads to AI-powered search campaigns while maintaining access to DSA creation and testing capabilities in the meantime.
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