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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsGoogle Ads reportedly added four AI Max-related reporting columns: Brand Inclusions, Locations of interest, Commission and Optimized targeting. Search Engine Roundtable reported the four labels on October 8, 2026, crediting the observation to Vivek Gupta. Their meaning is not equally clear: Google documents brand and location controls, but the sources reviewed do not define the new Commission column or officially explain the Optimized targeting label. The columns may also be unavailable in some accounts while the rollout continues.
What are the new AI Max columns?
They are reporting labels associated with AI Max in Google Ads, according to reports published by Search Engine Land on October 7, 2026, and Search Engine Roundtable on October 8, 2026. The latter lists all four names: Brand Inclusions, Locations of interest, Commission and Optimized targeting. These reports establish that the labels were observed; they do not establish universal availability or provide a complete official definition for each one.
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AI Max is an optimization layer for existing Search campaigns, not a separate campaign type. Google says it can combine search-term matching, including broad-match expansion and keywordless matching, with asset optimization, geographic-intent and brand controls, and reporting changes. Google’s AI Max Help page describes those documented features.
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Brand Inclusions
Google’s brand settings let advertisers specify brands they want associated with their ads, and also support excluding brands. Brand inclusions can be configured at the campaign or ad-group level, according to Google Ads Help and the Google Ads API setup guide. The newly reported column may help an account manager identify where an inclusion is applied, but the sources reviewed do not document its precise display format or behavior.
#1 Best Overall
Locations of interest
This setting is about geographical intent: it lets an advertiser reach customers based on locations that matter to their search, including in keywordless matching. Google documents it as an ad-group-level control. The API guide describes it as a positive location criterion on an ad group that requires AI Max.
Keep the control distinct from the reporting view. The setting determines whether AI Max can use geographical intent for targeting; the matched_location_interest_view is an API report for analyzing performance by the locations AI Max matched. The AI Max reporting guide documents that view.
Rank #2
Optimized targeting
Search Engine Land characterized this label as visibility into automated audience expansion. That is the publication’s interpretation, not a definition confirmed by the official AI Max documentation reviewed here. Google’s AI Max Help page explains search matching, including broad match and keywordless technology, but does not define this new column or establish its scope. Do not assume it refers to another Google Ads feature with a similar name without a current Google definition.
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Commission
Search Engine Roundtable includes “Commission” in its list of observed labels, but does not define it. The Google AI Max Help and API reporting guides cited here do not document a Commission column. Its meaning, campaign scope and reporting availability therefore remain unverified; the label alone is not enough to conclude that it represents a fee, bid, conversion value or setting.
How to inspect AI Max activity with documented reports
The four newly reported labels are not the only way to review AI Max delivery. Google documents several report surfaces that can help connect search activity to the ads and locations involved:
- Search terms: Google says AI Max reporting adds match-type and source information.
- Search-term and ad combination: the API’s
ai_max_search_term_ad_combination_viewshows the search term, landing page and headline combination used for an expansion. - Matched locations:
matched_location_interest_viewsupports performance analysis by matched geographical location. - Landing pages and assets: Google describes a “Selected by” column in the Landing pages report and optimized asset performance reporting.
- Keywords: Google says the Keywords report includes summary rows.
These documented views provide context for auditing AI Max delivery, but they do not establish what the new Commission or Optimized targeting columns mean. Configuration visibility by itself also does not prove that a setting caused a performance change.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a column may be missing from an account
Search Engine Land reported on October 7, 2026, that the columns were still rolling out and might not yet appear in every Google Ads account. Search Engine Roundtable’s October 8 report does not confirm availability across all accounts or geographies. If a label is absent, that alone does not show that the account is misconfigured; the reports do not specify a universal availability date or account eligibility criteria.
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