Microsoft adds Copilot AI to Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft is rolling out Copilot AI insights to its Microsoft Clarity users starting today. Early testers got an email announcing the feature rollout, which appears similar to Google Analytics “Insights” many are familiar with.

copilot in microsoft search — Microsoft recently sent out this email to some Microsoft Clarity users

Why is this a big deal? Well, Microsoft Clarity this year already announced support for mobile apps, and this move confirms Microsoft is doubling down on its investment in Microsoft Clarity. There are several likely reasons, not the least of which is technology companies’ insatiable desire for first-party data. So while Microsoft promises never to sell any Clarity data, it can use it within its massive advertising machine.

What is Microsoft Clarity? What is Copilot?

Microsoft Clarity is an entirely free-to-use analytics tool and has impressive capabilities. It can support any level of site traffic and provides real-time data, including heat mapping of how people interact with a website or app.

Copilot is Microsoft’s answer to Google’s Bard and is how customers will understand when “AI” features are being integrated into their products. For example, Copilot can draft emails for you in Outlook, well now it can also do your funnel and bounce analysis (or at least soon).

Many competitors are in the web analytic space, and Google Analytics Universal is being deprecated. As a result, businesses are looking around for new solutions. Microsoft Clarity easily integrates with Google’s GA4, and they are not looking to unseat them but complement them as companies like Hotjar have done with web heat mapping.

Companies like Hotjar may get caught up in the war for data – their model may be squeezed out by more prominent players willing to give it away for free. Hotjar also has a free offering but ultimately relies on monetizing its data platform and insights.