system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[The Matrix] Why didn't the agents just take over Neo's body before he escaped the first time?

Throughout the movie we see agents taking over the body of random people so why couldn't they just take over the body of Neo when he first was escaping the matrix? It would also mop up everybody else pretty quickly having an agent among them.
gpt
Records show that the one who was known as Neo was identified by both the human and machine side at roughly the same time. Why it took so long to find him is unknown but it *is* known that the humans were the first to act, making contact with him and offering him some of the answers he sought. 

From the start the one known as Morpheus believed that Neil (whoops Neo) was "The One" but this was not the case with the machines. To them he was just another human who had the potential to escape. This was to prove a fatal miscalculation on their part. 

As per machine protocol, they attempted to use Neo to infiltrate the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar by taking Neo and injecting him with tracking code, hoping that would lead them back to the humans. Unfortunately for them this tracking bug was found in Neo and removed. 

From there, without the bug it was impossible to immediately pinpoint him, per protocol agents used local forces within the Matrix to try to identify and track them but agents were held until confirmation had been achieved. Agents are active all over the world and unlike the one who was later about to copy himself, agents do not have that power. 

Without confirmation of location or identity or any reason to prioritise and request the processing power to find them quickly, the agents missed their chance to take our Neo and the rest is a part of history.