> not "artificial creativity" but a simple "statistical mean of everything uploaded

There is a metaphor I rarely see used. IMO it is way better: A deep learning based software is a complex system [1] (not a statistical one). It is tapping into very powerful natural processes: How (high degree) order emerges from randomness through complexity. There are many stunning examples [2] of this that can help us picture how AI does its magic.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_system

[2] https://global.oup.com/academic/product/complexity-978019979...