What level of "potential" is required here? A human baby has a certain amount of potential to reach whatever threshold you're comparing it against - if it's fed, kept warm, not killed, etc. A pig also has a certain level of potential - if we tweak its genetics.

I have given a gradualist answer to every question related to this topic, and unsurprisingly I will not veer from that here. The value of the potential is proportional to the difficulty involved in realizing that potential, as the value of oil in the ground depends on what lies between you and it.