No. Existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are eligible for ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode without AI Max. AI Max widens matching: like broad match, it can match your ads to the AI answer itself, while exact and phrase match keywords only qualify on searches with direct commercial intent.
The confusion is understandable: Google's best practices for ads in AI Overviews name AI Max first. But in the same help page Google lists it as one of several kinds of eligible targeting, next to broad match, Shopping and Performance Max.
What does AI Max change for AI Overviews?
It changes how your ads can be matched. Google uses two methods for these placements:
- Direct query matching: the ad is matched to what the person typed.
- Contextual matching: the ad is matched to the search and the AI response together, which matters for long, exploratory questions.
AI Max is eligible for both. Exact and phrase match keywords are only eligible when the search shows direct commercial intent, and not for contextual matching on broader questions.
| Your setup | Eligible? | How ads can be matched |
|---|---|---|
| Search with only exact and phrase match | Yes | Direct query matching, on searches with direct commercial intent |
| Search with broad match, without AI Max | Yes | Direct and contextual |
| Search with AI Max | Yes | Direct and contextual |
| Shopping or Performance Max | Yes | Direct and contextual |
Can broad match do the same job?
For eligibility, yes. Google lists broad match on Search next to AI Max, Shopping and Performance Max as targeting that qualifies for both kinds of matching.
What AI Max adds on top is the creative side. Its text customization writes headlines and descriptions from your ads, landing pages and assets, and final URL expansion picks the landing page. Google's best practices for AI Overviews mention both features, along with Smart Bidding and strong conversion data. But they are recommendations for performance, not conditions for showing.
So you have a middle option: broad match keywords with Smart Bidding, while AI Max stays off. That gives you contextual matching without generated ad text or landing page changes.
Should you turn on AI Max for AI Overviews?
I wouldn't make AI Overviews the main reason. Google includes these ads in your normal campaign metrics and doesn't let you target or exclude the placement, so isolating the AI Overview effect is hard.
Here's how I handle it: decide on AI Max the way you would anyway, by reading search terms, the generated ad text and conversion results. If you want broader reach in AI answers with less change at once, broad match is the smaller step. Keep in mind that AI Max is on by default in new Search campaigns, see whether Google is turning on AI Max automatically.
For where these ads show and which countries have them, see how Google ads show up in AI Overviews and AI Mode. For the details of the feature itself, read my guide to AI Max for Search campaigns and whether keyword match types are still relevant.
Sources
- Google Ads Help: About ads in AI-powered experiences in Google Search - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16297775
- Google Ads Help: About AI Max for Search campaigns - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15910366
- Google Ads Help: How AI Max for Search campaigns works - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15910187
- Google Ads Help: Set up AI Max for Search campaigns - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15909989