Chinese Room doesn't assume locus of control
Searle gives examples of programs—beer-can systems, water pipes, etc—that don't need a central locus of control. His only Chinese Room assumptions are "programs are syntactical, syntax is not sufficient for semantics, and minds have semantics".
John Searle, 1989.
Notes:
For more on the assumptions, see "The Syntax-Semantics Barrier" arguments on this map.
For Jacquette's response to these assumptions see "The Chinese Room argument is Circular", Box 58 .