Many of the professional laws of the USA came about not to improve the profession but to fence out others who do the same thing but got there by different means.
The classic example of this is the AMA and how it tried its best to fence out all doctors other than MDs. They pretty well succeeded except for DOs.
Nurses are not any different, trying to fence out anyone other than RNs, but they did have to let the LPNs in there. At the top of the nursing food chain were/are the CRNAs. While they can not do a thing about MDAs, they can and do fight anyone giving anesthesia other than themselves. My fellow CRNAs do not see AAs as a solution to a problem but a threat to their pocket book.
I see AAs as a good thing. The baby boomer retirement is coming and we are going to have a whopper anesthesia provider shortage in the USA because the MDA/CRNA system is not providing enough new graduates. So IMO, bring on the AAs. I will be at the state legislature supporting them. (And probably will be shunned by every other CRNA in the state. Life is tough when you do not tow the party line.)