Google is Testing Brand Controls in AI Max: Is Your PPC Budget Finally Safe?

We have all been there. You open your Google Ads dashboard, see a click-through rate (CTR) of 18%, and feel an immediate rush of victory. “The AI is working!” you think.

But then, you dig into the Search Terms Report.

Your heart sinks. Over 90% of those clicks didn't come from new, curious prospects. They came from people typing your exact business name into the search bar. People who were already looking for you. Google’s AI didn't win you new business it just charged you for customers who were already walking through your front door.

This is the nightmare of brand cannibalization, and with the mandatory migration from Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) to AI Max, search marketers have been feeling increasingly cornered.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Google is quietly testing campaign-level branded search controls inside AI Max. Here is what this means for your budget, your data, and your peace of mind.

What is Actually Happening inside AI Max?

First spotted by PPC specialist Thomas Eccel and shared on LinkedIn, Google is testing a brand-new "Branded Searches Control" interface within AI Max campaigns.

Code:

[Branded Searches Control - AI Max]
 ├── 1. Show ads on all relevant searches (Default)
 ├── 2. Control branded searches (Using inclusions/exclusions)
 └── 3. Show ads ONLY on unbranded searches (The Holy Grail!)

This experimental interface gives advertisers three distinct options for handling search

1. Show ads on all relevant searches: The default setting that lets the AI target whatever it wants (often leading to heavy branded term bidding).
2. Control branded searches using brand inclusions and exclusions: A middle-ground approach that relies on your pre-built brand lists.
3. Show ads only on unbranded searches: The option we’ve all been begging for. This restricts the AI Max campaign to pure prospecting, blocking it from showing up on your own brand queries.

The Cold, Hard Truth About AI Max and Brand Cannibalization

When Google launched AI Max for Search campaigns, it promised the world: better reach, Gemini-powered ad customization, and seamless landing page matching.

But in practice, keywordless targeting behaves like a hungry toddler. If you let it loose without boundaries, it goes straight for the easiest target: your existing brand equity.

Bidding on your own brand terms is sometimes necessary, but it should be done intentionally inside a highly structured, low-cost brand campaign—not mixed into a black-box machine-learning engine that inflates your overall Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC).

If rolled out globally, the new unbranded only toggle will force Google’s AI to do what it was actually built to do: find cold, net-new audiences who have never heard of your brand.

Three Reasons Why This Update is a Game-Changer

1. Cleaner Attribution and Honest Data

When AI Max campaigns mix branded and generic traffic, your ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) looks artificially inflated. By completely isolating branded traffic, you can see how well your prospecting campaigns are actually performing.

2. Massive Budget Savings

Why pay $2.00 a click for someone searching for your business by name when they would have clicked your organic listing for free anyway? Saving this wasted ad spend lets you redirect budget toward high-intent, unbranded keywords that grow your business.

3. True Complement to SEO

SEO and PPC should work hand-in-hand. When you can safely turn off branded ads in AI Max, your SEO gets to do its job on your brand terms, while your PPC targets competitive keywords you don't rank for organically yet.

Quick Summary: How Google Ads Handles Brand Searches

What Should You Do Right Now?

While this feature is still in limited testing and has not rolled out globally, you shouldn't sit idle. Here is your immediate action plan:

• Audit Your Search Terms: Go to your AI Max campaign and pull your search terms report. Check what percentage of your budget is being swallowed by your own brand name.
• Keep an Eye on the Settings Cog: Check your AI Max campaign-level settings weekly to see if the "Branded Searches Control" option has populated in your account.
• Use Account-Level Brand Exclusions: Until this toggle is fully live, continue using account-level brand exclusion lists to keep AI Max from overbidding on your branded terms.

Automation is incredible, but only when we are holding the steering wheel. This new test shows that Google is finally listening to advertisers who want control back.