Google Ads AI Max columns: four reported labels, not a confirmed launch

Four labels in a column selector are not four new reasons to switch on AI Max. Search Engine Roundtable attributes this observation to Vivek Gupta, but the labels need separating out. Brand Inclusions and Locations of interest map to existing controls. Commission and Optimized targeting do not have a verified AI Max connection. This is a reported interface observation, not a confirmed expansion of what AI Max can do.

Better visibility into brand settings could still be genuinely useful. Brand inclusions restrict Search traffic to queries associated with selected brands, and ad group inclusions override campaign inclusions for that ad group. When comparing AI Max CPA across campaigns, I want those differences visible. A campaign restricted to selected brands is answering a different commercial question from one given broader scope. If the reported column makes that easier to spot, it could save some digging during account reviews. It still would not tell me whether those conversions were incremental business.

The other two labels are where it would be easy to overread the screenshot. Google's dedicated Optimized targeting instructions cover Demand Gen, Video action and Display, not Search. Google documents commission bidding in the Hotel Ads context, with those strategies deprecated in February 2025 and historical reporting retained. That does not explain this reported Commission column. Neither label is enough to infer a new AI Max capability, but the documentation gap is not proof the columns are absent either.

For performance decisions, I'd start with Google's documented Source column, AI Max match type filtering and Selected by in landing page reporting, then follow outcomes through analytics tools or advanced CRM reporting. More conversions at an attractive CPA could justify giving AI Max more room. More leads that fall out at qualification would make the same result much less persuasive. A clearer reporting table would be welcome. It is not, on its own, a reason to give the campaign another pound.