To better understand this you might need to read EMAH (The Even More Astonishing Hypothesis)
Our computers' lack of agency can only be cured by an EMAH approach
Just like we limit our understanding of universe by creating road blocks such as "Big Bang" etc. (see "Origin" of Universe), we limit our computing by "stiff" programs without a true agency of their own. Only when we realize that the basis of what we call 'human thinking' rests on a nonstop flow chart without artificial stops such as e.g. input/output breaks, free will, mind, Homunculus etc, can we start developing truly intelligent* devices.
* The difference in intelligence between a brick and a human is quantitative, not qualitative (see EMAH).