Liam Walsh
Liam is a Co-Director at Intelligency and heads up the agency's Digital Intelligence & Paid Social activity. Over the last decade, he has worked with brands from the world of sports such as Premier League clubs to entertainment such as Channel 4 and Disney.
If your Google Ads campaigns use Dynamic Search Ads, there is an important date you need in your diary. Google has confirmed that all remaining DSA campaigns will be automatically upgraded to its newer AI Max format starting February 2027, giving advertisers several more months than originally planned to prepare. What looked like a race against a September 2026 deadline, right in the middle of the crucial pre-Christmas advertising period, has been extended following widespread feedback from the advertising community. That breathing room is welcome, but it should not be mistaken for an indefinite stay of execution.
What Is Actually Changing and When
Google is retiring Dynamic Search Ads entirely and replacing them with AI Max, its newer AI-driven approach to search campaign management. Rather than relying on keywords alone, DSA campaigns have long worked by automatically matching ads to relevant searches based on your website content, making them particularly useful for large or frequently changing product catalogues. The transition away from this format happens in two stages: from January 2027, you will no longer be able to create new DSA campaigns. From February 2027, any campaigns still running will be automatically migrated to AI Max on your behalf, whether you have prepared for it or not.
Why the Extension Was Granted
The delay was not granted out of generosity. It came directly in response to advertiser pushback. One recurring concern is that AI Max routes specific product searches to generic landing pages, something DSA handled more precisely by matching searchers to the most relevant page within your site. That distinction matters commercially, particularly for retailers with large or structured product ranges. Independent analysis has also shown AI Max delivering lower returns on ad spend in some campaign types, which is why treating this migration as a routine update would be a mistake.
What You Should Do Now
The February deadline may feel distant, but the window for proper preparation is shorter than it appears, especially for businesses with Q4 peak trading periods where any campaign disruption carries real commercial risk. The time to review your DSA campaigns is now, not in December. Start by auditing which campaigns are still running on DSA and how they are currently performing. Then build in time to test AI Max before the forced migration kicks in, so you can identify and resolve any issues on your own terms rather than Google’s. If you are unsure where to begin, this is exactly the kind of transition where working with a specialist pays for itself.
