Google AI Max is here, and why it won’t replace your agency
Google’s newest AI tool for paid search brings more automation but raises the stakes for strategy
Google is pushing paid search deeper into the age of automation with the rollout of AI Max, a suite of AI-powered enhancements for Search Ads. The move signals a significant evolution in how ads are targeted, optimized, and served. But it doesn’t mean marketers can sit back and let the machines take over.
In fact, the industry consensus is the opposite. AI Max may automate headlines and direct users to the right landing page, but it’s raising the strategic ceiling, not lowering the workload. For agencies, that means a shift from execution to orchestration. For brands, it sets a higher bar for content quality, CRO, and data readiness.
This article explores how Google AI Max reshapes campaign execution, what it demands from media and creative partners, and what marketers need to do to future-proof their paid search strategies.
Short on time?
Here’s a table of contents for quick access:
- What is Google AI Max and how it works
- How AI Max reshapes media and creative roles
- Strategic oversight is the new differentiator
- What it means for CRO and content strategy
Patrecia Meliana
What is Google AI Max and how it works
Google describes AI Max as a “full-stack” upgrade for Search campaigns. It applies advanced machine learning to expand targeting, generate creative assets, and drive traffic to the most relevant landing pages without relying on keyword-based structure.
AI Max combines elements from dynamic search ads and broad match campaigns. This allows ads to match a broader array of search queries, even those not explicitly targeted. The system also generates and optimizes ad copy using both user intent and landing page content. In practice, this means more automation at every stage: targeting, creative, and delivery.
But more automation doesn't mean less complexity. As NP Digital’s Eric Ng points out, AI Max removes traditional keyword control, shifting the focus to content structure and site quality instead.
“If your content isn’t clear, relevant, and easy for AI to understand, you’re leaving performance on the table,” Ng says.
How AI Max reshapes media and creative roles
With Google and Meta doubling down on automation, agency roles are evolving fast. Antsomi CEO Serm Teck Choon calls it an “evolution” that agencies must embrace or risk becoming obsolete.
“They’ve been media or digital experts for decades. Now they need to be AI experts,” Serm explains.
Media agencies must now act as AI system architects, according to Votee AI’s Jacky Chan. Rather than manually managing bids and budgets, they need to define strategy, feed clean data, and monitor machine performance.
On the creative side, Chan argues that the value has moved upstream. Instead of churning out A/B variations, agencies should focus on the brand’s emotional hook, visual tone, and strategic storytelling which are essential ingredients for effective AI input.
“The job is to supply the AI with a rich palette of high-quality, diverse creative assets,” says Chan.
In this landscape, execution is commoditized. Judgment and creative direction are not.
Strategic oversight is the new differentiator
The democratization of AI tools levels the playing field, until it doesn’t. Eric Ng warns that brands relying on generic AI playbooks are already starting to blend into the noise.
“Everyone’s using the same tech. The differentiator is how you guide the machine,” he says.
That means asking tougher questions. Should the AI optimize for short-term conversions or preserve brand equity? Should it prioritize low-funnel traffic or guide high-intent users into long-term nurture streams?
For SleekFlow’s Marketing Director Joy Liu, the answer lies in pairing AI with a higher-level strategy layer.
“Agencies can now offer more complex, value-added services by letting AI handle the lower-value tasks. But they must keep the human touch that drives innovation and emotional connection,” Liu adds.
Some brands may internalize simpler AI tasks, as Serm notes. But complex strategies will still require external partners who can make sense of the bigger picture.
What it means for CRO and content strategy
AI Max is also reshaping how marketers approach conversion rate optimization. Since AI Max uses landing page content as its primary data source, every page becomes a potential entry point.
“We move from page-level to journey-level optimization,” says Chan of Votee AI. “We need a consistent, high-quality experience across the whole site.”
Rather than test button colors or headline phrasing, the new CRO question is: does this page fully satisfy the user’s intent as the AI interprets it?
Unbounce’s VP of Marketing Valerie Riley sees this shift pushing brands toward multi-variant landing pages, several versions per ad, to give AI Max more routing options.
“It’s not a new feature in landing page builders, but now it’s essential. Pairing your landing page AI with Google’s can give you a conversion edge,” she explains.
SleekFlow, for instance, is using AI-powered BDR agents to pre-qualify leads before handing them to human AEs, closing the loop between click and close. According to Liu, this setup improves efficiency and ensures human reps focus only on high-value leads.
In short, content structure, site architecture, and post-click experience all influence how well Google AI Max works. Marketers who ignore these layers risk losing performance and wasting budget.
Google AI Max may automate paid search execution, but it also amplifies the importance of human strategy. Agencies that reframe their value around data, content quality, and AI fluency will thrive in this new model. The rest will struggle to stay relevant.
Marketers who succeed with AI Max won’t be the ones who let it run on autopilot. They’ll be the ones who steer it skillfully. As the rules of paid search shift, so must the players.
