Google confirmed in June 2026 that automatic DSA-to-AI Max migration has been pushed from September 2026 to February 2027. For advertisers running Google Ads campaigns in the Ukrainian market - whether targeting Ukrainian-language queries, Russian-language searches, or English-language terms - the delay gives you more preparation time but does not change what needs to happen before February.
New Timeline at a Glance
- Now through January 2027: Voluntary migration period. Manual upgrades available.
- January 2027: New DSA campaign creation disabled globally.
- February 2027: Automigration for all remaining active DSA campaigns.
What Still Happens in September 2026
Regardless of the February delay, two changes proceed in September on the original schedule:
- Automatically Created Assets: Campaigns using ACA will switch to AI Max asset behavior in September.
- Campaign-level broad match: Campaigns with this setting will transition in September.
Review your active Ukrainian-market DSA campaigns now to determine if either feature is in use.
Key Operational Change for Ukrainian-Market Campaigns
The most significant difference between DSA and AI Max for advertisers in the Ukrainian market is Final URL Expansion. DSA routed users to specific landing pages based on your site content. AI Max can route users to any page on your site Google determines is relevant - including pages you have not configured for paid traffic conversion.
For Ukrainian-market campaigns running on Google.com.ua or targeting Ukrainian-language queries, test how Final URL Expansion behaves before migrating full campaign budgets. Set URL exclusions for pages without conversion paths before running AI Max at scale.
Action Plan
July - August: Document current DSA performance baselines. Export negative keyword lists - including Ukrainian and Russian-language negatives if your campaigns target both languages. Note which landing pages are being targeted.
September - October: Run one DSA campaign as a manual AI Max migration in parallel with the original. Monitor search term quality and Final URL Expansion destinations for 4-6 weeks.
November - December: Migrate campaigns with confirmed comparable or better AI Max performance. Do not migrate peak-performing campaigns during the holiday season.
January: Complete all remaining manual migrations before automigration begins in February.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the delay mean I can keep running DSA campaigns indefinitely?
No. DSA creation ends in January 2027 and automigration begins February 2027. The delay gives you more voluntary migration time, not an option to avoid migration.
Will my Ukrainian-language negative keywords transfer automatically?
Google does not guarantee complete negative keyword transfer during automigration. Export and manually apply all negative keyword lists - in all languages you target - when migrating to AI Max.
Does this affect Performance Max campaigns?
No. The DSA timeline is specific to Dynamic Search Ads. Performance Max is a separate campaign type with a separate roadmap.
Related: full guide to Google Ads Terms of Service changes effective July 1, 2026: /en-ua/blog/google-ads-tos-july-2026-ai-automation-what-changed/
