Is machine learning just statistical code with a lot of information?

Answer 1

It's a bit like this cartoon: https://xkcd.com/1838/

Answer 2

It's not just statistical. It's the application of learning algorithms.

Answer 3

Apart from statistics, machine learning models utilize several areas of advanced mathematics, such as linear algebra, probability theory, and multivariate calculus.

But your intuition is basically right, deep inside it boils down to crunching numbers and spitting out a result. Just like any other computer program. :)