I figured that's what he meant. Seems like a bit of a leap to me.(edit: slight wording adjustment).
Just because we understand one part of something and can recreate that part, however seemingly fundamental, in isolation, doesn't mean we can recreate the entire thing using only that.
It's like saying we have evidence that fluid pipe systems can replicate a circulatory system. There's so much more to it, systems within systems, and when it comes to the brain and intelligence, we understand far less than we do about the circulatory system.
Maybe that's a bad parallel but hopefully my point comes across. (I say this as a total layman)