Google AI Max Migration | Behind the September DSA Sunset

Google's AI Max moved out of beta on April 15, 2026, which starts the countdown to the September forced migration off Dynamic Search Ads. This episode unpacks what intent-based auctions actually change under the hood — DSA, Automatically Created Assets, and campaign-level broad match all replaced in one motion — why voluntary early migration is the correct call, and how to run a clean pilot before Q4 forces your paid team to learn a new auction model during the worst quarter of the year. Microsoft announced a parallel "agentic web" AI Max equivalent on April 21, so this isn't a Google-only shift; it's the leading edge of paid search moving from keyword-specified to outcome-specified across every major platform. What we cover: The three campaign primitives AI Max replaces in one motion — Dynamic Search Ads, Automatically Created Assets (ACA), and campaign-level broad match• Intent-based vs. keyword-based auctions: why Google now reads query, landing page, and creative as one bundle and ranks by predicted conversion Google's headline 7% conversion / conversion-value lift claim and how to actually read it Why September is the wrong time to learn a new auction — the "Q4 budgets already committed" trap The 5-item migration QA checklist: baseline the legacy campaign, start with a non-hero campaign, write text guidelines before flipping, rebuild reporting around query-level data, and set a 14-day no-touch window after launch Text guidelines as the new control surface — how to write brand rules the AI will actually respect (e.g. banning "cheap" or "discount" in generated headlines) Microsoft's parallel "agentic web" AI Max equivalent and what the platform convergence means for search marketers The skill-stack rebuild: shifting from bid-manager to AI-manager — writing text guidelines, curating landing pages, and reading query-level + cross-headline reports Read the full written case on Marketing Case Bootcamp. Read the original Digiday coverage of the AI Max GA announcement.