September 2026 Google Ads Update – AI Max Adds Languages and Journey Reporting

Granular analysis and first look

More Control and Visibility for AI Max

Google is continuing to add advertiser controls and reporting transparency to AI Max for Search campaigns. For advertisers evaluating AI-powered Search strategies, Granular’s PPC management services focus on connecting new automation capabilities with measurable business outcomes.

On September 23, Google announced two additions: expanded language support for the closed beta of AI Brief and a new reporting experience designed to show more of the customer journey generated through AI Max. Google says additional availability details will come later in 2026.

AI Brief Expands to Seven More Languages

AI Brief allows advertisers to give AI Max detailed instructions in natural language about their business, audience, and key messaging. Google initially announced the feature in April as a way for advertisers to provide messaging, matching, and audience guidance while reviewing examples before committing to changes.

The closed beta is now expanding beyond English to support:

• Dutch
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Portuguese
• Spanish

For international advertisers, this could make AI Max easier to guide using the language and context most relevant to each market.

It’s important to note that AI Brief remains in closed beta. Google has not yet announced broader eligibility or a general availability date.

New AI Max Reporting Connects the Search Journey

Google is also developing a unified reporting view for AI Max performance. The new interface is designed to connect three important pieces of the Search journey:

• Search term: What the user searched before triggering the ad.
• Creative: Which ad assets that user saw.
• Landing page: Where the user ultimately landed on the advertiser’s website.

Rather than reviewing those elements separately, advertisers will be able to see them together in a single view.

Why This Reporting Matters for PPC Advertisers

AI Max can dynamically influence targeting, creative, and landing-page selection, making visibility into the full path increasingly important.

The new report could make it easier to identify whether a searcher’s intent, the message shown in the ad, and the destination page are working together as intended. For PPC teams, that creates another opportunity to diagnose mismatches, evaluate automated decisions, and determine where additional advertiser guidance may be needed.

It should also provide useful context when evaluating AI Max performance. The report itself won’t replace conversion, revenue, or profitability metrics, but it can help explain how users are reaching those outcomes.

Key Takeaways

• AI Brief’s closed beta is expanding to Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.
• Advertisers can use AI Brief to provide detailed business, audience, and messaging context to AI Max.
• A new unified report will connect search terms, creative assets, and landing pages in one view.
• The reporting update should make AI Max’s automated decisions easier to investigate and validate.
• Google has not yet provided full rollout dates and says more availability information will come later in 2026.

What Advertisers Should Do Next

For now, advertisers should treat both announcements as features to watch rather than changes that require an immediate account update.

If you already use AI Max, consider how you currently evaluate the relationship between queries, ads, and landing pages. Once the new report becomes available, having clear performance benchmarks will make it easier to determine whether the additional visibility reveals opportunities to improve creative guidance, targeting, or landing-page strategy.

As Google gives advertisers more control over AI Max while exposing more of what happens behind its automation, the opportunity is shifting from simply turning AI features on to understanding when and how those features contribute to performance.