Generative Human Activity Dataset

Human activity datasets underpin much of ubiquitous computing and HCI research, but traditional methods of capturing video or sensor data are costly, time-consuming, and raise privacy concerns. Advances in generative AI offer a new path: instead of recording people, we can synthesise convincing audiovisual depictions of everyday activities that are ethically shareable and scalable.We introduce the Generative Human Activity Dataset, comprising:1,000 AI-generated short videos of diverse human activities4,000 paired audio clips of ambient sounds and effectsStructured metadata and text prompts for each clipPre-computed semantic embeddings for efficient searchAlongside the dataset, we provide a set of open-source tools:A semantic search engine supporting natural language queriesA lightweight web API and embeddable widget for integration into surveys and applicationsProgrammatic interfaces for research and prototypingThis dataset and toolkit make it possible to:Use synthetic clips as stimuli for experimentsSupport design prototyping and scenario explorationProvide training data for models without expensive annotation and minimal privacy risksBy combining generative media with accessible tools, our contribution offers an ethically shareable, scalable alternative to traditional human activity datasets, positioning synthetic datasets as practical research resources in their own right.