Microsoft makes AI Max default for new campaigns

Microsoft Advertising now enables AI Max by default for new Search campaigns, while letting advertisers turn it off during or after creation. Its rollout note says AI Max has three features and that Google Import can carry its settings into future Microsoft syncs; Microsoft’s August update says Max CPC disappears for certain new campaigns created after October 1, 2026. Advertisers should audit imports and run holdouts before accepting AI-generated query matching or landing-page choices, a narrower test than treating platform conversion claims as universal; the archive’s ChatGPT Ads analysis shows why AI-mediated intent is becoming its own acquisition surface.