New Google AI Max ads spotted – here’s how they’re different

A fresh version of Google’s AI Max search ad format has been seen in the wild – and it’s not your average search ad. The ad was shared by Nikki Kuhlman, VP of search at Jumpfly, on LinkedIn.

• “Ridiculously long headlines pulling from blog articles,” she wrote.
• “And… blog articles are converting at a significantly higher ROAS than their standard landing page — which I would not have guessed!”

The ad. Here’s a screenshot showing what it looks like:

Why we care. Google’s AI Max is still in early rollout, but this example gives us a glimpse at just how far automation is going:

• Headlines are longer than standard ad formats typically allow.
• Sitelinks are dynamically generated, not manually input.
• The ad pulls content directly from blogs, not just landing pages.

The big picture. Automation is more commonplace, but when it comes to ad copy, advertisers are used to having more control. AI Max is rewriting the playbook, automating not just bidding and targeting, but also creative assets and content sources.

Yes, but. More automation means less control – and potential risks around:

• Brand safety (where AI pulls content from)
• Performance consistency (are blog readers ready to convert?)
• User experience (long, AI-written headlines can be awkward)

Between the lines. Kuhlman‘s observation that blog pages are outperforming standard landing pages could hint at how Google’s AI is reading intent — and possibly rewarding depth of content or informational value.

What’s next. Expect more advertisers to:

• Audit their content libraries (especially blog archives).
• Test AI Max with/without final URL expansion.
• Watch ad previews more closely to see what’s being served.

Bottom line. AI Max is reimagining how search ads are built. Early signs suggest that performance surprises – good and bad – are just getting started.