Potentials (occasionally confused with Redpills) were humans who had started to reject the Matrix to some extent, but were not yet fully awakened. Some had abilities within the Matrix, while others perhaps simply witnessed something they couldn't explain and were under threat from Agents as a result. Freed children were still called potentials during testing to see if they had what it took to one day become fully fledged operatives, as they were only able to join a hovercraft crew at the age of seventeen.