AI Max updates and new AI-powered bidding – SEM News – #2, August 2026

Google has announced another change affecting Search campaigns. Startng September 1, 2026, campaigns using automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match will gradually transition to the AI Max solution.

The recommended approach is to enable AI Max manually before the automatic migration begins. This will allow advertisers to review the available settings in advance and decide how they want their campaigns to be configured.

What does this mean for you?

For Marketing Managers responsible for managing advertising budgets, this update means the need for a quick review of campaign architecture and margin protection. Giving the algorithm greater decision-making authority over headlines and the automatic expansion of search intent raises concerns about control over Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and ROAS.

Google Ads has expanded its customer acquisition settings with a new report on newly acquired customers.

Once activated, the campaign will continue to optimize for increasing the number of purchases from both new and existing customers. At the same time, the bidding strategy used by the campaign will remain unchanged.

Source: Google Ads Panel

The new feature therefore allows you to monitor the number of newly acquired customers without having to switch campaigns to strategies primarily focused on acquiring new customers.

What does this mean for you?

For Marketing Managers, this change is primarily a tool for better analysis and demonstrating the effectiveness of marketing activities. It enables a more precise assessment of revenue structure and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) without risking campaign stability through sudden changes to automated bidding strategies.

Google Ads is introducing a new beta feature called Exploratory Smart Bidding. The solution uses Google’s AI and flexible target ROAS values to identify new search queries that have the potential to generate valuable conversions.

Source: Google Ads Panel

This feature is designed to increase traffic diversity by generating impressions, clicks, and conversions across a broader range of unique search categories. The goal is therefore not simply to increase scale, but to reach users through new ways of searching.

Exploration can leverage existing targeting methods, including broad match, Dynamic Search Ads, and AI Max, and use them to identify additional conversion opportunities.

What does this mean for you?

For Marketing Managers managing advertising budgets, this feature is primarily an attempt to expand scale while taking a more flexible approach to profitability. However, giving the algorithm greater freedom to experiment with target ROAS values requires careful monitoring to ensure that exploring new search categories does not lead to higher Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) or a decline in lead quality.